Evening star., 1923-03-04
Parent-Teacher Activities

This column is conducted under the
auspices OF the District of Columbia
Branch OF the National Congress OF
tiOns.
When the excitement and tragedies
of the world war had passed into his
tory the city mothers thought that
they had earned rest from the labor
of caring for the destitute and needy
children of war-ridden Europe, but
when they looked around they soon
realized that nowhere in the world
did children need more help than the
school children ot the nations capital.
Many of the children needed clothing
and shoes, and these were, and are
still, being supplied by these mothers.
But help was also needed i'll other
directions. There was not one super
NiScd school playground; the build
ingS were lamentably overcroWded;
they were not lighted for dark days;
there WAS no means for weighing the
pupils To determine their health
status: there were only three dental
clinics for $4,000 children. and our
teachers were the poorest paid Of any
city this size in the country.
These are just few of the condi-
tons the mothc"S found existing in
the Capital city of the richest nation
In the world. Groups of parents.
mostly mothers. aroused themselves
10 meet this situation. and the diff
ferent school associations set to work
70 overcome and remedy their in
diNidUal school needs. Scales were
purchased and school lunches intro
duccd into the schools by the Parent
Teacher Association. until now nearly
every building in the city is serving
milk and is provided with the equip
ment for weighing and measuring the
pupils so that the parents are kept
Informed as to the physical condi-
tinn uf their children. and as an out
come of this work many nutrician
clinics have been started
Play ground equipment has been pur-
chased by the associations of schools
where there was Il playground to
equip. and all over the city the streets
around the school buildings have
been closed. or partly closed. to traf
IL during the recess period, the street
SIGNS having been provided by the
Parent Teacher Association.
Every school association is doing
is utmost to meet the needs of its
particular huildins. but the matter Of
school legislation could not he ac-
compIishcd by the individual clubs.
This matter called for concerted ac-
tton q; all the school groups through
fn"ir parent body, the District of Co
lumDla Congress of Mothers and
only organized group of parents. en-
hra"ing the entire parenthood of
Was hinGto on. together with the teach
erS, this organization has worked for
months to get the present session of
congress Ia pass some Legislation for
tic schools. Washington has had no
school legislation this session. and
every effort was made to secure the
hearing fer the teachers salary bill.
First small groups OF mothers repre-
Senting this organization went to the
Capitol and interviewed the cha irnlen
Of thc important congressional COM
m!ttceS. then the groups became
larger. until last Monday over 700
mothers from eVery part of the Dis
triCt packed the galleries and help
lesSly watched the futile efforts of a
fcw interested members TO give the
District Of Columbia some attention.
In. spite nt the remarkable demonstra-
tion of the close harmony existing
between the parents and teachers.
s1'l the overwhelming unanimity of
oiCuiOu among the mothers concern
Ing tn" just dues OF the teach hers the
teachers salHry bill was NOT taken
un Monday. which should have been
District day. but it was again set
aside.
In the March number of the Child