The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1920-11-18
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1920
GETTING 1900, EFFICIENCY

GEIIINU lOUYO EFFlClENC1
Don't you think that the schools Of the
city should be open to the boys and girls after
school hours and in the evening" is ques-
ton that mother Of several young boys and
girls has sent to us. 1t is easy to answer the
question and we say unqualifedly ''Yes''
The property of the city used for school
purposes is valued at the present costs of
buildings and materials at something like two
million dollars. We do not for a minute believe
that the city is not getting value received for
the expenditure but just the same we believe
that there could be greater value given to the
boys and girls. The city is not getting one
hundred percent efficiency for the money it
has expended for it's school plant.
1t is hard for us to work out any condi-
tions of affairs which would warrant the vast
school plant of the city of Kenosha being left
idle for six or eight hours in every day. We
believe that under proper supervision and with
proper equipment these buildings could be
used for other hours in the day without in any
way Interfering with their being used for
school purposes. Such use is just little diff
ferent from the average run of school house
uses but we have come to time when the aver
age run of things does not mean hundred per
cent efficiency. It is difficult to conceive any
well grouded reason. why certain portions of
every school building should not be used for
club rooms for boys and club rooms for girls
if there is a demand for them. Nearly every
one of the buildings has some big airy room
which could be set aside for this purpose and
which could be made decidedly attractive. 1t
might be necessary to take over some of the
auditoriums but this could be done in way that
Che use of them would in no way interfere with
Che regular school work.
School clubs for boys and girls are needed in
every school in Kenosha. The city has failed
to meet big problem of taking care of boys
and girls the law bars the boys from the pool
rooms and properly bars them but there is no
reason why the city through its proper school
officials should not offer the substitute for
these places. It would take only small ex-
pendture to make attractive club rooms and it
is possible that there would be a lot of men and
women in the city who would be willing to
give money for these purposes if they had some
assurance that these clubs would open their
doors and become the rival of the pool halls
and other places now frequented by boys of
tender age.
Of course there may be few old fashioned
people who believe that it would be wrong to
use school house for club house but the mod
ern idea of education believes in the education
of the moral as we'll as the intellectual side. of
the boy and girl. To make good boys they
must have right influences thrown about them
first at home, second in school and lastly in the
waking hours while they are out of school. The
school can supply the last two requisites and
the sooner the officials of the school start doing
it the sooner the school system will come into
its one hundred per cent efficiency regime
We are not suggesting that vast sums he ex-
pended to make the club rooms something for
the boys to go to. We suggest that the boys
and girls will largely work out their own prob
lens of furnishings and few thousand dollars
will furnish all that is necessary.
It would be an excellent way to expend few
thousand dollars on the property Of the tax
payers.