The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-03-19


 | community that their hearts bleed every time they think of the tragic | situation of these children and their unfortunate, untralned, illiterate and incompetent parents.
 Outline of Plans
 Any reader with a normal imagina- ton can picture the exposition in all | it's phases, can see it's purposes achieved, and its program carried out He can perceive that the site has | been selected with a view to the great permanent work for which the
 whole thing has been made. It is large area consisting of hill and dale, with the buildings arranged in a most attractive manner to give the whole the aspect of university of the most | comprehensive type. The spectator perceives that science an art, excel lent business acumen and the truest spirit of human philanthropy, have all been at work together to achieve results of most unique and notable character. He does not see a lot of little, uniformed urchins, who are driven hither and thither in pursuit of myths or phantoms, but instead he sees that all the boys and girls | in this work are there to be moulded | into complete men and women, with
 their best capacities fully developed and with every side of their natures rounded out to the fullest.
 He will see that every grade of the school and academic departments is varied by periods of recreational work in the open air. Even the small est urchins are weeding in gardens. tending to flowers ard shrubbery learning the art of bee keeping and poultry raising under scientific in structors. The smallest ones are cull- ing leaves from mulberry bushes to feed the silk worms, kept in commer- cial quantities for profit producing. The silk yielded from this source Is | ultimately woven into beautiful fab 1 rics in the mill which is a part of the plant, and Is operated by experts | As the chief aim of tho work from first to last Is to bring to tho fore the best and the richest endowments which are found in every child. scientific psychology and the best possible discoveries In psycho-analy- sis are in evidence throughout the establishment, and at free service of every pupil
 Individual Development
 It may be stated briefly that the main object aimed at throughout this work is to accomplish individual de- velopment. To this end tho natural aptitudes would be studied in ac- cordance with the best methods now known, and those which are being developed by the most original and progressive intellects Of this age. We all know that if only the good traits and inclinations of each individual were cultivated to their fullest per lection, there would be no place left in any human heart or mind for vice or crime or injustice. The natural aptitudes of every child are to be studied with the greatest care, with the inevitable result that each one will be capable of performing useful tasks and of achieving results in hfe such as are impossible with the inn perfect and haphazard methods now in general use.
 In addition to the graded schooling and academic instruction which will go along with the manual training in useful arts and crafts, sll the children will be taught and perfected In one or more callings by which they can earn their livelihood by the time they reach their teens. Through their scientifically directed activities. they will not only produce sufficient revenues to defray all the cost of their support and education, but a handsome surplus can be realized every year, in course of time, to be devoted to betterments and to the expansion of the system which will have fully vindicated itself, and es- tablished many new ideas respecting child training within a few years.
 The constant aim will be to in- crease production of all raw ma terials that can be economically grown In our soil and climate-and to turn these into finished products through skill of the pupils here trained. Thus the arts of husbandry will go hand in hand with those han dicrafts which add most of the com forts and refinements of life. and each pupil made entirely independent because of his or her skill in some particular trade or calling. This sys- tenn can be extended in such a man. ner as to discover every latent talent in the child-and the object of the higher endeavors in this work will be to give fullest development and scope to genius whenever 1t appears.
 As all instructors are to be the choicest graduates of the best tech nical and professional schools of this country and of Europe there would be practically no limit to the heights tiidL might D6 TedCneQ nere DY the best endowed ndividuals-whether their genius lay along the lines of art. science. literature, or in the di- recdon of original research-whethe in the practical or theoretical Keep in mind the main point that each one will be perfectly equipped in some one line-and that a calling in which an independent livelihood will be as- sured.
 All Branches of Training
 All branches of moral and ethical instruction will come alongside of the physical and practical. They will be imparted by positive methods rather than by the negative now so much in use. This method holds that it is much more important to teach the right way to think than the thing to think. It indulges In no so- called "beliefs" except such as are demonstrable and verifiable. It puts knowledge in the stead of belief, and answers all the questions of child hood frankly and openly-on the theory that nothing can be gained by deception or falsehood. It holds that to deceive a child is not only a folly but crime against that child, and against society-for the reason that lying-fike any other evil thing grows by what 1t feeds on, and the harm it does Is augmented as its field is widened.