Evening star., 1923-11-18
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL r. KENNEDY.

Seventy-nve years ago, when
school was kept in the small red Cor
log) schoolhouse in the clearing or at
the country cross roads: when the
teacher boarded around among the
pupils and not infrequently the So
cial life OF the community centered
around the school, the relation of
teacher and patron was a close one."
says Miss Ellen c. Lombard, director
of home education for the United
States bureau of education. This Of
fice was organized ten years ago. in
response to the plea Of the national
organization Of the parent-teacher as
sociations. and Miss Lombard was ex-
planning how home and school work
together through these associations.
las the school grew, however, this
social relationship in many cases dis
appeared, and in the present compli-
Gated school system the parents and
teachers of a child rarely meet. AS a
result the school curriculum appears
more and more to the parent as an
outside institution. planned by stran-
gers. without reference to home life
and executed by persons who do not
consider home needs. The teacher.
on the other hand, feels a lack of CO.
operation and sympathy on the part
OF the parent.
1T Is to further a much-needed
spirit OF cooperation that the parent
teacher associations are formed" Miss
Lombard explains. "When school
teachers and patrons get together
regularly In semi-social way the
friendliest feeling is fostered; and. in
addition, current school questions can
be brought up and discussed in a
forum representing the points of
view OF both home and school. This
not only gives practical help to the
individual teacher, but makes an OPP
portunity for the expression of gem
eral public opinion on such Important
questions as discipline. recreation,
health. the treatment Of individual
differences and movements for COM
munity welfare. Patron corporation
lessens occasions for acute crises in
school administration and promotes
orderly and harmonious adjustment
or the educational system to commu-
nifty needs"
illustrating how reading circles are
being organized all over the country
under federal direction, Miss Lom-
bard points to such circle in Glen
dale. Calf. which has become an i'm
portant factor in the community and
has developed in very practical and
useful ways. 1t was organized in the
home OF Mrs. Charles H. Toll, who
had been a high school teacher pre-
Vious to her marriage. During her
teaching experience she keenly real
lied the results of home training as
evidenced by her pupils. AS the
mother of four boys, she realized
more than ever that mothers might
be greatly helped by reading books on
scientific child training. She inter-
ested a group of about twenty women,
every one of whom took the reading
course for parents prepared by the
United States bureau of education.
and received a certificate which today
proudly adorns the walls Of their in
dividual home libraries.
Officials Of the United States Vet
erans' Bureau are proud of the work
that is being done by their trainees
and repeatedly evidence the heart
that Is in their work to salvage the
derelicts from the late war.
Brig. Gen. Frank T. Hines points
with pride to a report from the train
Ing bureau in Minneapolis that
Thomas J: Camper. a disabled over
able memory feat made possible the
recovery of Haskett-Cremona violin.
more than 100 years old and worth
a fortune. which was stolen from the
srns su% of .27 and von sClf bow boT sas
brought to Camper for repair, accord
ing to the report that has come to
Gen. Hines. Camper at once recog-
nized the bow as one that he had re-
paired eight years before as an ANA
teur and this led to locating the
famous instrument. Investigation
showed the rightful owners initials
carved upon the case, thus completing
the Identification.
The records of the Veterans Bu-
reau show that Camper was a private
in the 103d Field Artillery and re-
ceived an injury to his spine during
his period OF service with the A. E. F.
ing his pre-war occupation as a
machinist and was awarded a course
in vocational training by the Vet
erans' Bureau to prepare him to carry
on in musical merchandising and
musical instrument repairing.
~ X 4
No veterans of the world war, espe-
cially the shut-ins in hospitals and
penal institutions are going to be
without all the Christmas cheer that
the Veterans Bureau can bring to
them. In view OF the approaching
Christmas holidays. Gen. Hines has
issued orders that all pending cases
Of ex-service men in hospitals and
penal Institutions shall be adjudicated
Immediately. Reports indicate that
all these claims will be settled before
the holiday season.
- &k
'I.o. the poor Indian" and the "fast
disappearing red men" are decidedly
misnomers today. The records of the
Indian ofiice here show that the total
value Of tribal and individual prop
erty Of Indians Is now $1.010.S70,519
which is $343.93s,256 more than ten
In the last decade the number of
Indians has Increased in this country
by 1864 and something like $500 last
year.
= 4&&
An interesting illustration Of the
increasing cost OF building IS to be
found in the plans which are ready
for Congress on the new Recorder of
Deeds and Municipal Court building
in the National Capital. A twin
structure for the Court of Appeals
was authorized in 1908 and occupied
in 1911. which cost $4,000. Last
year estimates were submitted for
the new building to cost $4,000.
The estimates of cost this year run
up to more than $62S,000. This shows
that the cost Of construction has in
creased almost so per cent In fifteen
years.
Il 4 \
. An amusing complication occurred
in the printing OF franks to send out
the calls for the democratic and re-
publican caucuses Of House members.
They were all printed on the frank
Of Representative Merrill Moores and
to avoid delay these will have to be
used by the democrats although Mr..
Moores Is a republican. Some "hick