THE SHOOTING OF ROOSEVELT
The Shooting of Roosevelt EVERY decent American citizen was shocked by an attempt upon the life of Colonel Roosevelt made, it is alleged, by John Schrank of New York, at Milwaukee on the evening of...
...Years ago we gave this a fair trial but it would not work...
...But I believe you are entirely wrong in advocating the use of school buildings for other purposes than that for which they were intended...
...If we permit the schools to be used for outside purposes who will do the janitor work...
...The Shooting of Roosevelt EVERY decent American citizen was shocked by an attempt upon the life of Colonel Roosevelt made, it is alleged, by John Schrank of New York, at Milwaukee on the evening of October 14th...
...Is it because the idea is impracticable...
...NEARLY TWO-THIRDS of the American public school enrollment is in the rural schools...
...We tried it, but it won't work...
...it is "meddling" to create an Industrial Commission to make certain that damages in injury cases really get into the pockets of the hurt workingman and his dependents, and so to supervise the business of manufacturing that the danger of accidents is lessened and the general conditions of labor are made better for laboring men and women...
...As to the difficulty in getting janitor service rendered, of course, for the extra service connected with the adult use of the building, the janitor should receive extra pay, but it is quite obvious that if a special community hall were built janitor service would have to be provided...
...To make it possible for every community, however small, to possess the necessary technical knowledge, the State board of health will maintain at the State capital a "clearing house of information concerning child hygiene, medical supervision, the teaching of school hygiene, and the like...
...The Prussian Ministry of Education is now considering the feasibility of employing cinematograph films in certain courses in higher educational institutions, and a number of film manufacturers are being given an opportunity to show the authorities what films they have that are adapted to educational purposes...
...The special interests of the state, having failed to defeat the men, who during the past ten years, have loyally stood for the public welfare as opposed to special privilege...
...When the Dairy and Food Commission was given adequate powers and began to enforce progressive laws for the protection of the public against fraudulent, impure, and even poisonous food stuffs, there was once more a clamor about "meddling...
...A conspicuous public life carries with it certain hazards...
...A CALIFORNIAN who signs himself "a country school trustee" writes us the following: "Many years of experience, as school trustee and also as trustee of our local Union High School convinces me that you are right in saying that 'The rural school of to-day is apt to be in the main a bad copy of a poor city school.' I - would put it even more strongly and say, 'The rural school of to-day is a bad copy of a poor city school.' I am reasonably familiar with how rural schools are conducted in many states, and I believe the above can be affirmed of them all, with but very few exceptions...
...Colonel Roosevelt's injury is not regarded as serious...
...it is all a duplication of the Stalwart literature of ten years ago...
...When the Tax Commission began to work out a system of distributing the expenses of government, state and local, so that the big, favored corporations and the rich individuals were compelled, for the first time, to contribute their just and proper share of public expenses, another outcry was raised about "meddling...
...having failed to prevent the enactment of the legislation to which I have referred...
...Cash prizes of $3, $2, and $1, will be given for the best samples of this year's seed corn...
...A TRAVELING SCHOOL of domestic science has been instituted in the department of Yonne, France...
...and having been beaten in their opposition to the establishment of boards and commissions to enforce these laws, now propose to hamstring the execution of them by withholding appropriations and, if possible, by abolishing the commissions...
...It is now, as then, a contest between reactionary interests and the progressive citizens...
...The dispatches report that evidence in writing found upon the person of Schrank after the shooting, indicate that he is insane and acted upon the belief that he was spiritually directed in this manner to avenge the assassination of President McKinley...
...And, interestingly enough, there came in the same mall with Mr...
...After discovering how to make one work in Rochester, he set about to show the rest of the country how...
...2) organization with a school nurse or nurses only...
...They held their meetings at 4 P. M. on Fridays, the school on that day being dismissed at 3 P. M., and the janitor could do the cleaning up on Saturday...
...THE STATE OF MINNESOTA has engaged Dr...
...And in this campaign the progressive spirit of Wisconsin finds its only expression, its only representation, in the Republican platform and the Republican candidates...
...A country school trustee' points out the fact that the policy of turning the public school property over to separate existing sect organizations, partisan and sectarian, works out unsatisfactorily, as a proof that the social center idea is not feasible, but this, of course, is not the social center idea...
...This in California, where the women vote, means simply the organization of the voting body of the district into a deliberative body, this body taking the responsibility for whatever addresses may be given, in the same way that a legislature invites speakers to speak before it, but does not turn over the state house to this private organization...
...The scientist's answer to the statement that the use of the rural schoolhouse as a social center is not feasible is the statement that in scores of communities in Wisconsin at any rate, the schoolhouses are being used...
...The clamor about "meddling," about "extravagance," about "inquisitorial taxes," about "legislative vagaries," has no basis in fact...
...This will cost our association considerable money...
...Ward knows more about social centers than any other person...
...It concludes with this appeal: "We will require some good men on guard at Madison to watch and advise...
...Then, too, when we permit the school building to be used for religious or other outside purposes it gives the idea to many simple minded folk that the school really stands for that particular ism or theory that the church or society represents...
...Volunteers...
...A well-known philanthropist has recently donated two fully equipped moving-picture machines to the schools of Berlin...
...Young answered, "I would give them more vocational training...
...Three plans are proposed: (1) Organization with a medical officer and a nurse or nurses...
...Professor R. A. Moore will judge the corn and give a lecture on how to care for seed corn and how to test it for germination...
...Thus emerges one of the concrete issues of the present campaign...
...Ernest B. Hoag, a health expert, to travel about the State and demonstrate to the citizens that rational conservation of the mental and physical health of children is possible and practical with the means already at hand...
...WHAT SHOULD OUR SCHOOLS DO for boys and girls of fourteen...
...And Governor McGovern remarks, "Thus the program is very clear...
...Are Rural Social Centers Feasible...
...Ward's reply, a copy of the following notice from a rural community not far from Madison: "FARMERS' MEETING AND SEED CORN EXHIBIT: To consider the specially difficult seed corn situation of this fall and other live problems, a farmers meeting and seed corn exhibit will be held Saturday, October 12, at the Methodist church one mile east of Syene...
...The ladies' society used the building for a time...
...This letter assails the progressive Republican administrations in Wisconsin as "an exasperating meddling by officious and frequently incompetent officials with private ana corporate affairs...
...It is the old issue...
...When the Civil Service Commission was entrusted with the duty of filling public positions with competent employees selected solely for fitness, and removing government appointments from politics, the bosses and their henchmen again complained about "meddling...
...Or was it really a social center that was attempted...
...But soon the ladies wanted to hold their meetings at 3 p. M. and came to us with a request that we dismiss the children at 2:30 P. M. Of course we could not do this, and as a matter of fact the teacher frequently wanted to coach a backward pupil on a Friday afternoon...
...Every child in the public schools should be taught at least the rudiments of a vocation...
...To use a school building for other purposes means moving desks, etc...
...It is vicious "meddling" to call in renowned experts to help perfeet those measures demanded by the people for giving voters more complete control over their own government and for administering, wisely and efficiently, those laws designed to put into practical effect the principle of equality of opportunity in politics, in education, in farming and industry...
...One is to be used in the Continuation Institute for Higher Teachers and the other in the high schools of greater Berlin...
...And now it is "meddling" to establish a Highway Commission to administer state aid in the building of good roads...
...This question was recently asked of Ella Flagg Young, Superintendent of the Chicago Public Schools, and of Jane Addams, the famous social worker...
...In the early days we permitted any religious body to use the school for religious purposes and it was frequently used by two or three societies on a Sunday, and always the results were the same as above stated...
...Professor Galpin will speak on the rural social center and Doctor Alexander will speak on pure bred sires...
...The school will make a stay of three months in any commune where an attendance of fifteen is guaranteed...
...it is solely an expedient to becloud the real issue...
...Here is what Ward writes: "The letter from California illustrates very well the most common misunderstanding of the social center idea...
...Similar itinerant schools for domestic science exist in Ireland...
...and all courses of study are laid out with that end in view...
...We tried it but it won't work...
...I would like to see that the duties of every day life are first taught to children...
...What-not ¶ THE USE OF MOVING PICTURES in education has had a real impetus in German official circles, according to information recently received at the United States Bureau of Education...
...Girls should be taught housekeeping, the care of children, dress making and other domestic employment and the boys should be taught to make things with their hands that are of every day use...
...When the Railroad Commission was established to compel the railroads to give reasonable rates and services, without discrimination or favoritism, the special interests raised the cry of "meddling...
...Moving-picture films are now available in Germany for anatomical, biological, and bacteriological courses, and the manufacturers are confident that an enormous field for their products will be opened up when educators fully realize the value of moving pictures in education...
...He is to be congratulated upon his fortunate escape, and the spirit with which he met the ordeal...
...Answered Miss Addams, "I think we should give more attention to teaching the child to do things before we begin to teach him abstract things...
...I agree absolutely with 'a country school trustee' in opposing the use of the public school house by any private organization whatsoever, which is a very different thing from the plan of organizing the adult citizens of the school districts into one in-clusive neighborhood body and making the schoolhouse thus the headquarters of the one responsible organization of the public in the community...
...Every voter in Wisconsin should keep this fact uppermost in his mind from now until his ballot is cast...
...Monday morning finds that the desks are not put back properly, books thrown around, and general confusion much to the detriment of the school...
...We asked E. J. Ward about it...
...Tell us what you think about the matter from this side...
...The use of the school-house as a social center means the equipment of the neighborhood with a community hall without the cost of the community hall, and the slight expense of janitor service and the necessary expense of the full use of the schoolhouse is to the value to be derived from this, as the cupful of water used to prime a pump is to the supply of which this priming is the prerequisite...
...3) organization by the employment of a simple non-medical Health-Survey on the part of the teacher only...
...A country school's funds are necessarily limited, and a large part of it cannot be spent for janitor work...
...But why...
...Not but we have many good, conscientious teachers, but the whole system is erroneous in that it supposes from the kindergarten up that the pupil is being prepared for University...
...We tried the same thing with our High School building, but always with poor results...
...It is the old, old protest of special interests that have been deprived of the privileges they once took unrighteously from the whole people...
...Threatening crank communications are so common as to pass unnoticed...
...Meddling" GOVERNOR McGOVERN'S opening speech of the campaign stated the present issue in Wisconsin clearly and forcibly...
...In many places it is explicitly forbidden to let the school be used for church purposes, and while this may be a hardship in some cases on the whole it is a wise provision...
...And he is meeting with remarkable success...
...We join with the country in tendering expressions of sympathy and regret...
...He took occasion to quote from a letter of September 15, 1912, sent out by the Wisconsin Manufacturers Association, of which the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor is vice-president...
...At first I thought the complaints made by the teachers were childish and as I believed the schools could be used for other than school uses I tried very hard to make the plan work out, but we had to give it up...
...Besides there is little that can be done to guard against the covered attack possible in every large public gathering...
Vol. 4 • October 1912 • No. 42
