Our Schools in War Time—and AfterDean, Arthur D. (Arthur Davis)
History
Our Schools in War Time—and After
Dean, Arthur D. (Arthur Davis)
Education -- United States; World War, 1914-1918 -- War work -- Schools
In France a number of schools, when the buildings were turned into
hospitals, equipped either the entire hospital or a considerable number
of beds at their own expense and by their own work. Hospital service
was largely organized by these schools. One school would be responsible
for the linen, another for mending, another for table service, another
for cooking, and another for sending and receiving packages. A workroom
established by the school girls in one of these hospitals had sent to
the front in a year and a half 25,330 packages. One little village
school of only 30 pupils in a short period collected 2542 eggs for the
wounded soldiers and made socks and mufflers in addition. In another
small district each of the schools specialized in some kind of work,
one making up parcels for war prisoners, another knitting sailors'
gloves, another making clothing for refugees, and still another
providing candles for troops in trenches.
A small country school in the Midlands of England, in addition to
weekly contributions of vegetables to the local hospital for wounded
soldiers, has made 26 bed cradles and a dozen crutches, while the
youngest boys have made splints.
A report from a northeast-coast district of England mentions
manual-training centers where bed tables, toilet tables, bed rests, and
clinical-chart carriers are made for the local hospital. Even the girls
have made splints and bed tables. Of course hundreds of sand bags have
been made in the schools.
The report closes with these significant words: "The effect of all this
work has been most remarkable. Even districts where formerly little
interest was taken by the children seem suddenly to realize the value
of it all." This is what might have been expected, and what we in
America may expect when we make our practical-arts work socializing,
useful, and contributory to some great cause that the children see is
worth while.
CHAPTER VI
THE WORK IMPULSES OF YOUTH
Since August, 1914, there have been presented to us new aspects
of the relation of children to industry. Up to that time the only
consideration for those who had the welfare of children at heart was
the child himself; but with the war, the welfare of the child became
tied up with the problem of the welfare of the country and its demands
for service on the whole population. The endeavor to adjust these two
in nice balance has resulted in experimental legislation or in action
without legislation, both of which have often been of no genuine or
lasting benefit to either interest concerned.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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