Evening star., 1924-09-28
Real Workers i'm the National CAPITAL

was a general discussion Of pur-
poses, means and materials. Extension
directors were invited to discuss the
practicability of cooperating with the
Federal bureau in its home education
project.
The second national conference on
home education was recently held in
conjunction with the National Congress
OF Mothers and Parent Teacher As
sociauons at the University of Mime
sofa, in Minneapolis. Three important
groups were invited-librarians, exten-
sion directors of State universities and
leaders in parent-teacher associations.
There were discussed the possibilities
OF plan Of cooperation of these three
| agencies with the United States Bureau
| Of Education in reaching people more
effectually with opportunities for home
education.
This conference gave great en-
couragement to Miss Lombard's work,
| and resulted in the formation of
| committee Of seven to study the whole
subject Of home education in the
United States. The personnel of that
| committee is a guarantee of stimulated
activity in this good cause. The mem
bers are: Representing the National
University Extension Association, Prof.
Charles G. Maphis, University of Nir-
| ginia, and Prof. Richard r. Price, Uni
versity Of Minnesota; representing the
American Library Association, J. T.
Jennings, librarian Of the Seattle Public
Library, and l.. L. Dickinson of the
American Library Association: repre-
senting the parent-teacher organiza-
tions. Mrs. A. II. Reeve, president OF the
National Congress Of Parent-Teacher
Associations, and Mrs. d. w. Cooper,
president Of the New Jersey Congress.
Besides setting forth reasons why the
Federal bureau should have the coop
| Grafton of all persons interested in home
education through the parent-teacher
| associations, and that well organized
extension division should be maintained
| in every university to make important
| contributions to the educational progra m
| of the State, this conference reported
| that:
I'VE believe that every community
| should maintain a public library, serv-
ing rural as well as urban population;
that every library should be encouraged,
with reasonable financial support, to
| emphasize those types of service which
] are distinctly educational in character,
and the public schools and public libra
ries in cooperation should provide such
| library facilities and instruction as will
insure the training of every pupil in
habits Of reading and studying"
X x
| All of this national-wide drive,
thus we'll organized, heads up in Miss
Lombard. She now has special COLA
| borators in 18 States. In one State,
| Oklahoma, a special demonstration
is being made by having the work
conducted by the State library COM
mission. and with considerable sue
| cess. In Louisiana it is conducted
in the State normal college Besides
these Is State eollaborators, the
University of Hawaii is also CO.
operating.
| AS an illustration of the reading
courses which Miss Lombard is
broadcasting, the last four issued
! will give an excellent idea of their
scope-"Citizenship and Government"
pathways to Health" reading
! course for parents; Sixty Selected
Stories for Boys and Girls" and
"Poetical Literature for Boys and
| Girls"
| 1T is a tragedy that our boys and
girls have so little help in the selec-
ton of the right kind of reading mat
| ter, says Miss Lombard And she
is laboring with a woman's persis-
tency to correct this condition
throughout all the States by encour-
aging the cultivation of the habit OF
| reading the best literature.
So, you see, there are folks in
Uncle Sans service working out their
| ideals, shooting at stars, and in a
practical way helping the citizens to
make their lives better, broader and
brighter. and to improve the intellec-
tual atmosphere of the home. OF
| course, Uncle Sam has to haggle over
| taxes and appropriations, but he also
works for and takes pride in such
| work as Miss Lombard is doing to
| improve the quality of citizenship.