No Room

Last week the children of the U. S. marched to public school. The schoolrooms that awaited them were on the whole inadequate. There was not a seat for every child; great numbers had either to go home or to interfere with the education of the rest by necessitating "part time" instruction.

In Manhattan, where last year there was a seat shortage affecting 14% of the school population, this year there were reported to be no ac commodations for 28% of the children of school age and this in spite of a score of new buildings. Little excuse for Mayor Hylan and his School Board was found by critics in the fact that Manhattan has a shifting population. Five years ago, the excuse, legitimate enough, was that the Government's wartime embargo on schoolhouse construction had just been lifted.

In Chicago, seats and pupils this year total about 435,000. As school doors swung open, Superintendent of

Schools William McAndrew published his first annual report. A new broom, McAndrew was prepared tp sweep clean. He had conducted tests to show the Board how faulty was Chicago's teaching system, had found "appalling," "astounding," "very disappointing" facts about the pupils' ignorance of even the three R's and spelling. He deplored politics and blindness in the Board's past activities, lack of discipline among the teachers. Said he : "There is an organized disloyalty by a min ority that has lowered respect for the pursuit of teaching and made Chicago education notorious here and else-where."

All the Board members agreed with McAndrew, save two. Said these: "In sult . . . slam against Chicago. . . . McAndrew alibis."

Chicago Tribune: "If the people of Chicago want inferiority stamped on their children they will tolerate a system which does not teach reading, writing and simple arithmetic. That is a good way to make the American heritage of these children the pick and washtub."

P:At the Harper Junior High School Chicago, there was trouble. The schoo' had been changed from an ordinary eight-grade grammar school to a new type called "junior high" school because it excluded the lower grades. Pupil; belonging in the lower grades were told upon reporting, to go to different "feeder" (lower grade) schools in other parts of the city. They went home instead, told their parents. The parent; stormed Harper, milled about its halls demanded of Principal Harrower reason why their children had to leave the neighborhood to attend school, thus risking their lives in Chicago traffic thus wasting time, wearing out shoes Principal Harrower, protected by police, tried to address the irate elders was jeered, hissed, booed, called "liar,' "sneak." The parents sought an injunction to prevent Harper being a junior high school, were refused.

In Philadelphia, the number of children receiving part-time instruction was reduced from 40,000 (last year's figures) to 15,000. Seven new 'buildings were opened; others pronounced nearly complete.

In Orange, N. J., Albert Reamer 15, Negro, resented having to go back to school, calculated that if his mother were sick he would not have to. He therefore, unknown to his mother ordered loads of coal from all local dealers, sent four taxicabs to the house sent ten gallons of ice cream, an ambulance, the fire department. Mr: Reamer fainted upon the arrival of th ambulance. Albert was detected, arrested when he sent in a second fire alarm.