368 Extracts from Addresses
VI
AT THE LUNCHEON IN HONOR OF THE MISSION
GIVEN BY THE CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION,
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, ɪ : 00 P.M.
UPERINTENDENT HORN: We take a great deal of pleasure
in giving you this glimpse into one American high school. So
far as I know, the junior high school is strictly an American institution,
and rather a Western institution. It is an institution designed for the
purpose of meeting the needs of the early adolescent age. We have
pupils in our junior high schools from the seventh to the ninth year in
school, which means practically from thirteen to fifteen years of age.
We have in this building practically one thousand of them. We have
two other junior high schools in our city, and two senior high schools,
besides our high school for colored pupils, making six high schools al-
together.
I want to say just a word or two to our distinguished visitors in
regard to what we are undertaking to do. One thing we are trying to do
in our junior high school work is to emphasize the physical development
of the child. This room in which you now are, you can tell, is, under
normal conditions, a gymnasium. If you were in the room below you
would find a swimming pool. If you were in the story above, you would
find a story given over to the domestic science work, of which we have
seen samples to-day.
In our schools we are undertaking not merely to prepare the children
for life, but we are undertaking to have them take part in life as well.
I am going to tell you just one or two of the things that have been done in
this school in which we are right now. In this school where we are at
present, every pupil, every teacher, every janitor, made some contribution
of money to the seven allied war activities for which we had the drive on
last week, and the total amount of money pledged from this one school
was $2,594.25. The pupils and teachers in this particular school took
more than $10,000 worth of Liberty bonds, and on one particular day
last year bought over $5,000 worth of Thrift stamps. I mention these
things just simply to show you that we are undertaking in the schools
to-day not merely to prepare pupils for life, but rather so to guide them
and help them that they will actually take part in life in such a manner
as may be best befitting their ability. You have heard some of our
pupils sing. You have had a chance to judge somewhat in regard to
their cooking. We select those two things, because one is at one end