Spirit of Giving in Public Schools
Pictures from Photos Made by a Staff Artist at the Fracklfn School, Omali?
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ONE CORNER OF THE HALL WHERE THE CHRISTMAS EXHIBIT WAS HELD.
WHAT THE B0T3 MA OK A ND HOME OP THE nOTS.
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Aik I spirit of giving is abroad, when
Joys la uppermost In the minds
of the children end of the par-
ents ad well, in consequence, thope lo whom
Is entrusted the trcinlng and directing of
these young minds are improving the eo
eon to the utmost to Impress upon them
the lea.'on that it Is more blessed to give
tl'sn to receive, and supplementing it with
that other truth that it Is not no much
what one gives as the spirit "In which he
gives It. And in these days of extravagance
there Is more need of this lesson than is
generally realized, and nowhere is it more
evident than In the public schools. In dis
tricts that embrace families of widely dif
ferent circumstances, where the children of
the rich and the children of the poor min
gle dally with that freedom and Intimacy
that is possible on'y to childhood, the
Christmas reason la to many fraught with
disappointment, regret and longing even
more keen than the joy that marks it as
tho happiest time of all the year to the
children of the more fortunate. The boys
and girls accustomed to indulgence, know
ing little of denial or discipline are apt
to And little attraction In the homely
things that are the share of their less
fortunate playmates, who are in turn
made unhappy and even envious that the
beautiful toys are not for them, and so
through comparison of material things the
real Christmas thought is lost, and In its
s toad Is substituted a seej of discontent
and of pride, the fruition of which is a
wrong standard for both.
To overcome this, even In a measure,
and to lay the foundation for a better
understanding seems a great undertaking,
and It is, for back of the children In tho
homes and the parents' there Is a lesson
to be taught and these are not so easily
reached, in fact, can only bo reached
through the children. I!ut with infinite
patience and the Interest that ever at
tends an experiment, the teachers work
out various plans each year with more or
less success. In one large school' it has
become the custom for each child to bring
some little gift. He Is not to tell what he .
brings, nor does he decide to whom it
shall bo given. He simply marks It for
a boy or for a girl and leaves the rest
with the teacher who dors the distribut
ing. If there are not enough for all, the
rest are supplied and when the distribu
tion Is made the little things that have
been returned to many of the homes In
exchange for those that have gone out
have carried with them a lesson to many
a mother as well as her child.
But of all the schools, Franklin has per
haps offered the most interesting lesson
this year. Last full It was decided to
Introduce some form of constructive work
or manual training as a means of strength
ening the Interest between the home and
the school, and between the parents and
the teachers. To find something that all
might share In common was a difficult
tank, but finally the homely old task of
sowing carpet rags was decided upon as
a starter. Everybody had rags and every
child in the school from the primary to
the eighth grade, boys as well as girls,
commenced a ball. The sewing was all
done at home this to Interest the parents,
for easy as it seemed, the majority hart
to b shown how and then the work was
brought to school for inspection and com
parison. There was no stipulation as to
he amount, for the object was to culti
vate a desire for this work with tho hands
rather than to compel it, and as a result
there will soon be a sufficient quantity
of rags to make a great many yards of
earpet. A loom is to be put tip In the
basement of the school, where the pupils
may all ste the weaving, and when It
Is finished the carpet Is to be sold, the
proceeds to civer the expense of weaving
and the rest used for the school.
But the rug sewing waa only the begln-
mmim.
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THE SOFA PILLOW EXHIBIT AND THE GIRLS WHO MADE THEM.
nlng, the means of
proving to the chil
dren how much might
bo made of a little,
and h3W even the
homely things might
be turned to account.
And, more than that,
there was also the
lesson of employing
tho time profitably.
With Christmas ahead
came the thought of
making gifts as well
as sewing nigs, und
soon dainty bits of
work began to come
In for the teachers'
Inspection and for
comparison with the
work of others. The
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beautiful trick of
weaving, l?arned bock
In the mat work in
the kindergarten, sup
plied the Idea for
many a beautiful sofa
cushion In which whs
combined a little son
or daughter's Ingenu
ity and practice with
mother's experience,
and with most grati
fying result. And as
tho beginner put Into
practice the combina
tion of colors and
Idoas of the kinder
garten the mothers
revived many an
Idea and pattern that
bad long been lulJ
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THE CHRISTMAS TREE FOR THE LITTLEST ONES.
aside or forgotten In the press of other
duties and cares, and together they spent
hours in producing a material result that,
beautiful though it might be, waa sec
ondary to that other result, the comradery
that had been established from their work
together, and so the cuxhlon or garment or
whatever the article, had -a double value.
The same was true with boy and many a
father was drawn Into the acquaintance of
hi son through an evening spent together
In the construction of something the boy
had jchowen to make, and so the parents
both came In touch with that great part
of their children's life, the school, and with
the teachers who, In many cases, they
found had gotten closer than they had
themselves. And when one thing was fin
Ihhed another was begun until throughout
the district there won scarcely a child to
be found who was not making something
for Christmas. As 1m ever the case, the
things one makes or accomplishes for one's
self he appreciates most, and many chil
dren came to realife for the first "time In
their lives the value of effoH and Its result.
Filday Afternoon teforo tho ilose of the
term all of thla ho.ne work was brought,
to school to bo exhibited fiat tho children
mlght'Rte what the others had len doing.
Just outxlfe of each door in the hull It was
all arranged on tibl?s nnd the parents were
Invited to Inspect. It proved one of the
largest gathnliiKs of rar. nti thut lias ever
been he'd at the schco'. Not only the
.mothers, but utmost a many fathers were
present. I'UHlnes men who had not been
Imlde of a school bul'cMng for years, many
of them nev?r s'ne their children had
been in rrhool, found .an hour or two to
spend there rompur'ng the efforts of their
loys'and girls and learn'nj something of
what the present school system re illy Is.
And as a result of It all many t-hildrert
this year for the first time In their lives
gave Chi Is mux gifts that were the work
of th lr own hands, und for tho flrtt time
ulso reu'ls d and uipreiliteJ what they
gave and what they ito:lvcd and o derived
ti n w pUuvure from It. ' And the humble
gifts had a new value, too, that placed
them beyond the trifles and toys that are
to be -bought, and to parents and child a
go d part of the gifts thU ycur will have a
new meining.