do so; third, by keeping the school open morning, afternoon
and evening during practically the entire year; fourth, by making the
work of interest to each individual child. Perhaps this matter of
interest sums up better than any other the spirit of the Gary schools.
The system aims to make the school so attractive that children will
prefer to be there rather than to be anywhere else.

How is this done? Take the case of John Frena, who occupies a place of
no particular distinction in the fifth year of the Gary schools. John's
school day (from 8:30 A. M. to 4:00 P. M.) is divided equally between
regular work (reading, writing, geography, etc.) and special work (play,
nature study, manual training and the like). A day of John's school life
reads like this:

_First period_--Playground, games, sports and gymnastics, under
the direction of an expert.

_Second period_--Nature study, elementary science and physical
geography.

_Third and fourth periods_--Reading, writing, spelling and
language.

_Lunch hour._

_Fifth period_--Playground (as before).

_Sixth period_--Drawing and manual training.

_Seventh and eighth periods_--History, political geography and
arithmetic.

During his school day, John has played, used his head and his hands, and
alternated the work in such a way that no one part of it ever became
irksome.

Next week, music and literature will be substituted on John's program
for drawing; the following week manual training will replace one period
of play. The four special subjects (drawing and manual training, music
and literature, nature study and science, and plays and games) rotate
regularly. Each day, however, includes four periods of this special work
and four periods of regular work.

Such a plan sounds complicated. In reality, it is very easy. The
gymnasium teacher stays in the gymnasium, the drawing teacher in the
drawing room. In the regular work, there are forty children in each
class. For science and manual training these classes split in two. At
the end of each period, or of each two periods, depending on the
subject, the children pass from one room to another. While this system
brings them under several teachers each day, it enables them to take a
subject like art with one teacher for twelve years.

Meanwhile our little friend John has shown himself bright in language,
but slow in arithmetic. Immediately he is advanced in language, and
perhaps