Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 4.djvu/335

 THE MO VEMENT FOR VA CA TION SCHOOLS 3 1 7

development, while all their other work — clay modeling, draw- ing, painting, and study — centered around the familiar carrot which they had never suspected of such interesting possibilities. Material for nature study is sent in from the country by one engaged especially for the purpose, but this seems scarcely adequate to the need.

Cleveland. — As an outgrowth of a summer sewing class there was established in Cleveland, in 1897, under the auspices of " The Old Stone Church" and in one of the public schools (the Rockwell), a small vacation school, which was fortunate in having the advice and superintendence of Miss Emma Davis, one of the school supervisors. It consisted of only two classes — kinder- garten, and one for children from seven to ten years old — with about fifty in each class. This year Goodrich House will cooperate with the school, and thus make it possible to have some older children. There has been a greater demand for admission than it was possible to satisfy.

It is, perhaps, a sad commentary on our popular education that one sees in a report such a sentence as : " Our school is planned rather for character than knowledge — our aim being to give the children active employment in which they could be happy, with as little of the ordinary school routine as possible."

In the nature work special attention was given to a pair of canaries, and the sparrow and robin, birds constantly about, while an aquarium stocked with fish, and bugs and beetles brought into the room, furnished further material for study. In history interest was centered in Ohio and special emphasis laid on the lives of the great men she has given to the nation. Manual training consisted in form study, color lessons, clay modeling, cardboard, paper folding and cutting, outline sewing, drawing and designing, and sewing for both boys and girls — the Pratt system being followed in the last.

Brooklyn. — The Brooklyn Vacation School owes its existence directly to the inspiration of Mr. John Graham Brookes. It was opened in July, 1897, ^"^ continued like the others for a period of six weeks. The board of education allowed the use of its buildings, and loaned the manual-training and kindergarten