Evening star., 1925-08-17
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

The greatest industry in America,
which has millions of dollars invested
and is always oyercrowded, closes
down the works six months of every
year This is not due to seasonal de-
mand, for in every city and every
country community where il has
branches there is complaint because
of lack of facilities and efficiency of
operation. It's workers, from super
intendent down to the most unde-
veloped tyro, recognize that they are
not getting out of life the comforts
and opportunities which they should,
because they are loafing half the time,
according to the reports of averages,
although in some of the larger cities
a select few are employed eight or
nine months of the year.
y x
This great industry is the insti-
tuition known as the public school
system. There is no manufacturing
plant in America whose management
would tie up millions of dollars in
buildings and equipment. and organ
lied skilled operators, and then let ii
lie idle half the time, except in some
great financial depression.
There is only one city in America,
Cheyenne. Wyo., where the public
schools are open more than 200 out
of every 365 days. Pittsburgh is the
only city exceeding 100, 600 in popula-
ton which has its schools running
10 months. 20 days a month.
Cities used to sympathize with the
struggles of country communities to
maintain their school terms as long
as 12O days year. but in the last
few years the average country school
has heightened its term to 1919 days,
while the city average has Shrunken.
1t is only 49 weeks in New York and
43 weeks in Cleveland Philadelphia
has school 251 days, Boston 224 days,
Washington 17S days, Rhode Island
schools average 195 days, New Jersey
1S9, South Carolina III, Georgia 140
and Alabama 131 days. An all-year
school gives so weeks of days each
$50 days.
Washington school officials point to
the Summer school" of six weeks
which occupies part of the buildings
part of the Summer. They closed
about 10 days ago and the buildings
will be idle until the regular Fall
term opens some time in September.
AS simple problem of efficient
management of investment 1t is
argued by some advanced" educators
that the school plant ought to be in
operation all the year with no cessa-
ton. since interest on the investment
goes on day and night, Summer and
Winter, and Washington is no eX-
ception to the Nationwide demand for
more school buildings and more
teachers.
In answer to objections. other edu-
Gators argue that the children were
not made for the schools, but the
schools for the children. The question
of paramount Importance is not the
economics of idle inveStment-how-
ever important that iS--but it is the
problem of what is most efficient in
educating the youth without leopard
izing their physical condition and
development.
For the last Is or 1S years the
question of all-year schools in place
of the average six-month sessions
has been a live one in educational
circles. The discussion Of policy is
becoming more and more alive in con-
nection with urgency for additional
buildings, but, particularly, in connec-
tion with liberal study as to how to
better the system of education, which,
to many, appears cramped by the
necessity of quantity production" of
educated men and women, which al
lows too little elasticity to adjust
facilities to individual requirements.
1t is not proposed that all pupils
should attend school u months a
year, nor that teachers should work
without vacations. 1t is the system,
not the personnel, which would be
, continued the year through.
The year would be divided into five
terms of 10 weeks each. The regular
classes would attend four terms, but
the backward and the extra ambitious
would have the privilege of attending
the fifth term also, for the purpose of
catching up in delinquencies, or forg-
ing ahead SO as to complete the eight
year-course in seven years, or the
four-year high school course in three
years. Two years saved by ambitious
work. in youth ID equivalent to two