San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-01

in fullest measure for the girls COM
mitted to its care-a chance 10 de-
velop into the useful, self-respecting
human beings they were intended to
become. The girls who live here as
the wards of County Judge Augustus
| McClosky and the county of Bexar.
are mere children. from II to Is
years o'd-so young that they are all
first offenders" Many of them are
] not offenders, at all, merely girls
whose circumstances and surround
ings were so unfortunate that they
were sent to the home rather as a
prevention than as cure. The en-
tire training and influence of the
home is all toward developing ideals
Of conduct and standards of living
that they could not have been expected
to form in the surroundings from
which most of them came.
Go To School.
Everything useful that girl could
need or wish to learn is taught in the
home, with special attention to the
domestic arts and sciences. The home
is large institution and all the work
of caring for the houses and grounds
is done by the girls themselves. They
have four cows, which they milk and
care for. and they have had great
success with their chickens. raising
enough to eat and getting oil the eggs
they can use. The garden has kept
them supplied with fresh vegetables
all winter long, and the fruit orchard
is in excellent condition and shows
careful cultivation. The girls hav,
recently made a garden of 200 rose
bushes which were a gift to the homa,
rs well as planting numerous SINAI,
beds with seeds for early spring
flowers.
All the cooking for the thirty-one
girls and the teachers who live there
is done by the girls themselves. and
much pride is taken in the rows of
canned meat and vegetables they have
preserved. They make all their own
clothes. and find time. in addition.
TO embroider numerous articles Of
house and table linen The whole
place is kept in excellent order from
one end TO the other. and many en-
gaging and pathetic little touches OF
decoration, in the form OF punches OF
wild flowers. early violets and leaves.
or simple childish pieces of embroid-
cry placed in irrelevant spots, in their
attempt TO turn housekeeping into
home making.
Regular school is held in the homo
in morning and afternoon session, hall
of the girls whose house work comes
in the morning hours going to school
in the afternoon, and vice versa.
Girls who attend outside schools have
made excellent records.
They Govern Themselves.
The home is managed entirely on
the student body government plan.
The girls create the morale, and
handle all offenses. deciding them
selves who shall occupy the coveted
places on the honor roll, and melting
out punishments. when they are neces-
sary. The girls who have the best
records for conduct and work have n
choice of the best rooms in the dor
mitory building. These rooms are as
varied as the personalities. but uni
formly interesting as proof that the
younger sisters of "the colonel's lady
and Judy O'Grady" are Just as much
sisters under the skin" as older wo-
men are.
Exactly the same youthful. femi-
nine tastes are displayed, in their at
tempts at individual decoration. !
whether they live in the Bexar County |
School for Girls, or fashionable and |
expensive boarding school on the
Hudson. The material used in the |
home are Of the simplest; colored |
draperies made Of old sheets dyed |
by the girls themselves; but the same !
color schemes are followed, the same |
prevalence of that strange and exotic |
fondness for Kewpie dolls, so mex |
plicable TO the adult. mind, and the !
same number and variety of pictures
of Rudolph Valentino. cut from the |
usual movie-magazines, are observed. |
One rather unusual. feature is the
number of baby pictures that are |
chosen for decoration from the cele-
breted head of Baby Stewart, to the |
equally well-known and more highly |
colored representations of "Baby |
Awake" and "Baby Asleep,
Mrs. Elizabeth Forrest. the super |
of the Joske Memorial Home !
tells of the help and cooperation |
many societies and individuals have |
given her and her teachers in train |
ing and developing these girls along |
the broadcast lines possible. The Elks |
seem to play the part of a regular |
Santa Claus to fhe home. They come
out every year and provide an entire |
Christmas entertainment, with deco
rated tree. presents for every girl, |
and musical program. The Elks
have given them the musical instru-
ments they have. which are being used |
as the nucleus of an orchestra, with |
Mrs. Lila Norton as instructor. The |
women of the Presbyterian and First
Baptist churches come out every year,
at regular times and give them
shower and 4 party. Women from
the First Christian Church give them
an entertainment every two weeks.
and pupils of Mrs. Daisy Marquis
Briggs have come out several times \
and given programs for their enter
tainment. 0r. J. II. Bindley and DIR.
George Wurzbach have been most
generous in giving their professional
services.
On Tuesday. March 20, Judge Nc