Evening star., 1925-06-28
Capital Sidelights

for the devoted zeal and faith of its
president, who kept the charter alive
during those silent years by daily
ringing the bell
Representative r. Walton Moore OF
Virginia, for years a member of the
board OF visitors of William and Mary.
recalls that about a quarter Of a cen
tury ago he made a pilgrimage TO the
college and asked the old president
We'll, how are the affairs of the col
lege progressing" The answer came
back, Looking up. You see, we are
fiat on our back and can't do anything
else but look up
Now the old college is renascent-
one OF the most wonderful educational
comebacks in the history Of the world.
The Phi Beta Kappa, pioneer Greek
letter fraternity, which was originated
at William and Mary College 149 years
ago, has just erected memorial build
ing there to the Fifty Founders. !"
Other buildings are being financed by
benefactors, including John Barton
Payne, chairman of the board of the
American National Red Cross.
AS best evidence of the new life
that is flowing throbbingly through
this historic college, the Summer
school has opened there with more
than 500 students, athrill with the ira
uAtioiiS Vi the cOlleSe ana tne great
patriots whose names are indelbIy
written in its records Washington,
Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, John Mar
shall and host of others. who start
ed this Nation on its way to be the
greatest government the world ever
knew.
Now that the school year is closed
an interesting check-up has been
made by Commissioner Tigert in de-
velopment of school activities and
the progress made in recent years
Washington. the Nations Capital.
he finds TO be one of the pioneer
cities, now numbering 25, which main
tain nursery schools. Three years
ago there were only three such schools
in the entire United States. Other
cities now conducting nursery schools
are Boston, Cambridge, Chicago, Gin
cinnau, Cleveland. Detroit, Highland
Park. Ill; Los Angeles. Missoula,
Mont; Montclair, N j.: New Haven.
New York. Philadelphia, Pocatella,
Idaho. and Schenectady. n. Y. Some
OF these are of the under-age kinder
garten type, others are neighborhood
cooperative nursery schools and still
others are primarily experimental
Many serve as laboratories for the
mothers.
Supervisors of public kindergartens
are provided separately in SO cities,
according TO data collected by the
Federal Bureau. In 100 other cities
supervisors are employed for the kin
dergarten and the primary grades
together.
During these Summer months the
youth OF the land is deriving great
benefit and comfort and pleasure from
one of the most phenomenal adven-
lures in American pedagogy, which
has had phenomenal growth during
the last couple of years-instruction
in swimming and Workmanship
Tbs is strikingly insignificant in
Washington this Summer, where. al
though public bathing places are
more urgently needed than probably
anywhere else on the continent. such
inadequate facilities as had previously
existed were removed in one fell
swoop by the dictum of Congress.
High school buildings and play.
grounds all over this land now contain
swimming facilities. Commissioner
TiGert's investigators report. Many
colleges include swimming as a pre-.
requisite for a degree. In military
posts and at Summer civilian training
camps instruction in swimming is
given as a matter of course. The
American Red Cross has been the
most significant factor In promoting
water safety. In such cities as Chi
cago, New York, Boston and Spring
fleld there are institutions that pro-
duce swimming directors as spe-
cialized branch of modern pedagogy.
Aquatic teams of schools and col.
leges now rank with basket ball and
hockey teams. Many cities now pro-
vide free bathing beaches or munich
pal pools. United States soldiers are
trained TO swim rivers burdened with
their complete equipment A special
paper on this subject of particular
interest to the youth of this land am
| bilious to emulate the performances
of Charles NJ. Daniels, Norman Ross
or John Weismuller has been pre-
pared for the United States Bureau of
Education by Capt. Elbridge Colby,
United States Army.
y
This brings us naturally to the sub.
ject of physical training in the public
schools, where a phenomenal growth
| OF interest Is shown. Some 40 schools
exclusively devoted to teacher-train-
ing for physical education were rep
resented at a recent conference in the
National Capital under the auspices
of the Federal Bureau of Education
Commissioner Tigert calls attention
that 40 years ago there were only two
schools preparing teachers for physi
cal education, whereas today there
are more than 100 schools giving ex.
| cellent courses of from two to four
years in the professional training of
teachers for physical education. and
| half dozen are offering post-grad
uate work leading to the degree of
master of arts or doctor Of philosophy
X X X
Here in the Nations Capital. where
| the activities of the parent-teacher as
| sociation have been so evidently help
| full, there will be special human inter.
! est in the report by Miss Ellen G.
| Lombard, junior specialist in home
| education and one of the women who
| in an unpretentious Office in Wash
| ington is doing a tremendously i'm
| portant work for Uncle Sam and our
| future citizenship.
Miss Lombard tells picturesquely OF
how some of our native Americans
| have just organized parent-teacher
! association. Sioux Indian women
wearing shawls and moccasins and
carrying their papooses on their backs
| met in a small town in North Dakota
some Of them accompanied by their
erstwhile warrior r-brave husbands.
The roster Of the new association
carries the names of these members
Mr. and Mrs. White Eagle. Mr.. and
Mrs Little Bird, Mrs. Two-Bear. Mrs
Rain-in- the-Face. Mrs. Grey Bull and
Mr.. and Mrs. Bear-Face.
This is the first Indian parent
teacher association in full membership
with the National Congress of Parents
and Teachers.
| X \
| Thoso ,uhn with fa milk cares ha Va fo