The courier-index., 1920-06-04

/ "A cuUSiuy DC arranged Tor teach
ers taking Normal Training Courses.
Provisions should be made for
the training of teachers in service.
Compulsory school attendance laws
should be enforced.
Teachers should be permitted to
participate in the affairs of school
administration.
Looking After the Boys and Girls
Mrs. Elizabeth M. Spear has re-
turned to Little Rock to become
parole officer for the Boys and
Girls Industrial Schools and hon
orary secretary of the Commission
of Charities and Corrections. She
is native of Arkansas and a So
cial worker of years of traing and
experience. 1t is only within re-
cent years that Arkansas has been
giving much attention to this i'm
portant subject. 1t was a long time
before an intensely commercial val
uation of social conditions could be
broken down enough to realize that
society owes a greater debt to it's
hayward elements, and that through
educative and restrictive influences,
even more than reformative, these
hayward elements must be reclaim
ed.
This led to the establishment of
the reform schools for boys and girls
and the women's industrial home
where depraved adult women may
be held in restraint. The whole
state is interested in the successful
administration of these institutions,
for the more effective work done
by them, the fewer inmates will
there me in the penitentiary.
In March 1919, the legislature es-
tablished the honorary commission of
charities and corrections, as had
been done previously by % other
states. The members of the board
receive no pay, and the board
operates through trained and ex-
perienced secretary like Mrs. Speer.
The commission is thoroughly non
political and was established for
the help and advice of the state and
its citizens on problems pertaining
to the wards of the state, and any
social community problems in when
people are interested.
For many years we have studied
ways and means Of improving the
agricultural conditions of the state.
We pay great attention to improving
the cotton and saving our apple or
chards. This is vital of course,
We law great stress on the breed
ing of fine cattle, hogs and poultry,
but until this commission was es-
tablished, little had been done in
studying the problems of better
boys and girls, increasing the senses
of responsibility for the future quail
ity of its citizenship, finding out
why there has been so much de-
linauency and why so much litter
acy. Only recently two boys were
placed in the industrial school, aged
Is and Is who had never been to
school a day in their lives. When
it is considered that Arkansas is
unfortunately near the bottom OF
the list in the number of illiterates,
the imperative necessity of methods
for combating these conditions be-
comes apparent.
The citizens of Arkansas realize
that the boys and girls must have
chance for proper growth and de-
velopment and that they may have
a proper sense of what real citizen
ship means. This need has been en-
phasized to such an extent that 1t
has become a matter of statewide
interest.
The commission consists of ex-
Governor G. w. Donaghey, Chair
men Mrs. A. w. Troupe, of Pine
Bluff; Mrs. Minnie Rutherford Full
Ter, of Magazine; DIR. C. E. Dickens,
of Arkadelphia; Mrs. Josephine Mil
Ter and Harry N. Trieber of Little
Rock. The commission is studying
the needs of the wards of the state
in order to help every community
in preventing the waste OF so much
human material. They are studying
means of giving the inmates of both
charitable and correctional Insti-
tutions the most complete chance
for responsible citizenship.
1t is the business OF the COM
mission to assist counties in Great
ing juvenile courts and securing the
services of capable probation Of
ficers. These will become a pow
erful influence in the several coun-
ties for the prevention OF juvenile
crimes, and to assist the truancy
officers in overcoming the tend
ency towadr illiteracy.
Do we know how many tatheriess
and motherless children there are
in Arkansas? Have we done our
full duty when we have assisted IN
establishing orphan asylums? Have
the women of the state done their
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