SCHOOL 



5247 



SCHOOL 



native people in elevating their standard of 

 living, strengthening their moral character and 

 preparing them for citizenship. 



Government schools for Indians are in charge 

 of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (see IN- 

 DIANS, AMERICAN, subhead Education). The 

 schools of Washington, D. C., are controlled by 

 a local board of education. One-half the ex- 

 pense of their maintenance is appropriated by 

 Congress and one-half is provided by the city. 



Parochial Schools. Parochial schools are es- 

 tablished and maintained by religious denomi- 

 nations. Broadly the term would include 

 church educational institutions of all grades, 

 but as it is ordinarily used it applies to ele- 

 mentary schools only. Nearly all denomina- 

 tions maintain parochial schools for one cause 

 or another. In all, the doctrines of the Church 

 by which the school is maintained are taurht. 

 The course of study and methods of instruction 

 conform to those of the public schools of the 

 city or state in which the school is located. In 

 some of these schools girls are taught sewing 

 and cooking, and boys are given f work in manual 

 training. The Roman Catholic, Episcopal 

 and Lutheran churches maintain high schools 

 in some localities, and practically all denomina- 

 tions have mission schools for the education of 

 Indian and negro youth. Parochial schools are 

 supported by their respective churches or so- 

 cieties and by the income from endowment 

 funds and tuition. 



Technical Schools. Technical schools were 

 originally "schools of engineering. The first 

 school of this sort in America was the Renssc- 

 Polytechnic Institute at Troy, N. Y., 

 founded in 1824. About twenty years later the 

 universities began to give attention to technical 

 education, and the Sheffield Scientific School at 

 Yale and the Lawrence Scientific School at Har- 

 vard were founded in 1847. The latter extended 

 its scope to include courses in engineering, min- 

 ing, architecture, chemistry, biology, geology 

 and other sciences. In 1862 Congress passed 

 the Merrill Act, which made large grants of 

 public land to the state for establishing agri- 

 cultural experiment stations. This act gave a 

 great impetus to technical education, and now 

 every state has its agricultural experiment sta- 

 tion. All technical schools fit men for profes- 

 sions. 



There are other technical schools of high or- 

 der not connected with universities but doing 

 a work of equal grade. Among these are the 

 Rose Polytechnic Institute, Terre Haute, Ind.; 

 the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, N. Y.; the Case 



School of Applied Science, Cleveland, Ohio, and 

 the Lewis Institute and Armour Institute of 

 Technology, Chicago. The Massachusetts In- 

 stitute of Technology, a technical school of the 

 highest grade, has become affiliated with Har- 

 vard University. Each of these institutions is 

 described under its title. 



Technical high schools fit students for trades. 

 There are also trade schools of a technical char- 

 acter, such as the textile schools in Lowell, 

 Lawrence and Fall River, Mass. 



Trade Schools, Trade schools are engaged in 

 preparing their pupils for some trade, such as 

 carpentry, bricklaying, printing, etc. They were 

 established to take the place of the apprentice 

 shop system which the introduction of modern 

 machines has made impracticable. Most of 

 these schools require applicants for admission 

 to be at least sixteen years of age and to have 

 a common school education ; consequently they 

 can do more advanced work than the elemen- 

 tary vocational schools. 



The length of the courses varies from five or 

 six months to four years. In the short courses 

 most of the time is devoted to practical work. 

 In the longer courses industrial drawing, mathe- 

 matics, the physical sciences and other related 

 supplementary subjects, together with English, 

 American history and civil government, are re- 

 quired. There is a close resemblance between 

 the trade schools with long courses and the 

 technical high schools. WJM. 



Moonlight Schools. Moonlight schools are 

 schools in which adult illiterates may learn to 

 read and write. Their advantages are also of- 

 fered to literate adults who may desire to im- 

 prove their education. 



These schools had their origin in Rowan 

 County, Kentucky, in September, 1911. Mrs. 

 Cora Wilson Stewart, then superintendent of 

 the Rowan County schools, and later chairman 

 of the Kentucky Illiteracy Commission, is their 

 founder. She opened the schools of the county 

 on moonlight nights, pledged the teachers to 

 teach all illiterates who would come, and in- 

 1 the people to attend, free of charge. To 

 surprise of all, 1,200 persons crowded into 

 the schools. Within three years' time, the 1,152 

 illiterates in Rowan County were reduced to 

 .'y-threo, only six of whom had the ca- 

 pacity for learning. 



.ty-fivc other counties in Kentucky es- 

 tablished moonlight schools. Then the Ken- 

 tucky legislature created an Illiteracy Commis- 

 sion, the first of its kind in the world. Five 

 educators were appointed by the governor, with 



