Part 15 (1/2)
seeave her age as only forty,” explained by quoting teacher the teacher ”She couldn't _verbatied for a long time to be perirls who desired to learn that they were given the preference She pleaded so hard that finally I asked to have her adress in penmanshi+p continued Miss Meyers as she pointed could not be to so first atteular exercise letters that sprawled over the sheet like the work of a child when it begins to write After twenty weeks of struggle, her work took on a forh still crude, was creditable for one who had never written until she was over forty ”Her joy at her success was great enough to repay me many times over for my efforts to teach her,” remarked Miss Meyers
The exact cost to the fir the wages 1 Expense to firirls in the classroom, has been itemized by Mr Sicher for the year just closed, as follows:
Floor space 17500 Short table of figures Rent, light, and heat 10500 is coes at 17 an hr, 40 girls 37500 ------- Total cost, 40 girls 67200 Total cost per girl 1680
The Board of Education, for its part 2 Cost to Board of of the school, paid out 560 for the Education teacher's salary and for supplies This was an expense of 1480 for each pupil
The entire cost for educating each 3 Entire cost per pupil one of the forty girl workers, therefore, was only 3160
That this h is the opinion of the employer, for the cost school work increases the efficiency in the factory sufficiently tohours
”I would rather have these girls in Head of firiven to convince from ten to twenty dollars a week,” readers declares Mr Sicher, ”than es siher ones
From a business point of view, it saves space and space is money”
That the result has been what the VII SUMMARY CONCLUSION fir the school is shown by the following 1 Results quoted froram: ”It is the present belief of the firm that the workers Note appeal of who have been thus trained have ”efficiency” to gained from 20 to 70 per cent in efficiency” practical readers
How ained irls efficiency was very evident to everyone Note patriotic appeal who looked into their faces as they received in closing the certificates that recognize phrase, which was them as ”Literate American Citizens” a happy choice
ANOTHER ARTICLE ON THE SAME SUBJECT This commencement at the factory school furnished another writer, Nixola Greeley Smith, with material for a special feature story which was sent out by a syndicate, the Newspaper Enterprise association, for publication in several hundred newspapers
Her story contains only 375 words and is thus less than one fifth the length of the other article The author centers the interest in one of the pupils, and shows the value of the school in terirl's own account of what the school has”hu one concrete example effectively, the author is able to arouse more interest in the results of the school than she would have done if in the sareater nuer article, her story probably would not suggest to the reader the possibility of undertaking a sih details about the organization and methods of the school to sho the idea could be applied elsewhere
The beginning of the shorter story was doubtless suggested by the presence at the exercises of Mary Antin, the author of ”The Proirls The first sentence of it piques our curiosity to kno ”the promised land” has kept its promise, and the story proceeds to tell us The article, with an analysis of its main points, follows:
WONDERFUL AMERICA! THINKS LITTLE AUSTRIAN WHO GRADUATES FROM FACTORY SCHOOL
”The promised land” has kept its I STORY OF REBECCA proo an illiterate Austrian 1 Striking statelish, went to work in a New Note effective use of York gar and writing fluently the language of her adopted country, Second and third proficient in other studies, she paragraphs show proudly cherishes the first ”certificate striking results in of literacy” issued by a factory--a one concrete case
factory which has paid her for going to school during working hours!
It was Rebecca Meyer who received 2 Coraduation Note that Rebecca exercises held on the top floor of the is the central figure big women's wear factory of DE
Sicher & Co It was Rebecca Meyer who delivered the address of welcome to the members of the board of education, the meathered at these exercises--the first of Dash used to set off their kind ever held in any commercial unique element establishment, anywhere!
”Isn't it wonderful!” she said 3 Rebecca's statehtly unidioestive should learn to speak the English language, I did not know It o to school every day, while I worked--who could drea? It could not be in any other country except America”
Dudley E Sicher, head of the firanized 1 Origin of school class of the New York public Note method of schools has held its sessions all winter, introducing head of firround Mr
Sicher is president of the Cotton Goods Manufacturers' association It was he who conceived the idea, about a year ago, of increasing the efficiency of his wo working hours
”One of the first and most noticeable 2 Results of school results of the factory school has Statement of head been a marked decrease in the friction of firm and the waste of time caused by the inability of elish, and has been enabled thereby to school herself in factory methods and conditions, doesn't hesitate and blunder; she understands, and does
And what then? Why, higher pay”
No wonder Rebecca Meyer is grateful III CONCLUSION for the 45has given place to study--no the central figure wonder she thinks America must Appeal to reader's be the wonderland of all the world! pride in his country
ARTICLES COMPOSED OF UNITS The study of the two special feature stories on the factory school sho articles of this type are built up out of a number of units, such as examples, incidents, and statistics A similar study of the other types of articles exemplified in Chapter V will show that they also are ain, if we turn to the types of beginnings illustrated in Chapter VII, we shall find that they, too, are units, which in soht have been used in the body of the article instead of as an introduction