Mainly for women PROBLEM OF HANDICAPPED CHILDREN What's your PTA doing about need for sight-saving classes? THERE IS little doubt that most readers will be surprised to know that there are incorporated into Vancouver’s school system three sight-saving classes. There is also no doubt that most read- ers will respond, “What in the world is a sight-saving class?” just as I did before I first saw one in action. It is important for progressive people to know about the classes, as they point the way to further development along this line. Sight-saving classes are special classes for children with abnor- mal eyesight. These children were originally in ordinary classes and referred to the Met- ropolitan Health Association by concerned parents and teachers. Following detailed examination and inquiries, the children were recommended for remedial in- struction at one of the three classes now existing in Vancou- ver. Thus parents of children recommended for the classes are now faced with arranging for board and lodging for these children, if they live very. far from the class. So much for the background of the classes. Now, what is a - sight-saving class like in actual practice? ; * * 3 THE VERY FIRST thing one notices is the brightness and lightness of the decorating. Walls and cielings are a cool, pale green (the most restful of col- ors); the floor a dark inlaid linoleum. The windows are each fitted with three pale-beige blinds, so that they may be ad- justed to give maximum _ protec- tion from glare. The blackboards are dark green, the chalk yel- low and an inch in diameter. All blackboard work is done in large writing. There are a few _ easel-type desks, readily movable to catch the best light. Along the win- dows is a long low table on which stand small wooden props against which the readers just like normal readers (only three times larger) are leaned for oral reading. The children work in big scribblers with lines spaced almost an inch apart; they use thick black pencils. An important part of the cur- riculum of these children is. typ- ing, which is taught on a ma- chine with big type. The idea behind the teaching of typing is twofold: it conserves eyesight because the touch-method is used, and it assures a means of communication with others should blindness occur (as it too often does). . One can begin to appreciate the organizing chore of the teacher, who must not only fit in spelling, arithmetic, reading and typing into each child’s in- dividual timetable, but must also rewrite, in large characters on the blackboard, any notes re- eeived by her pupils, in other classes. She must be particular- ly cheerful and _ encouraging; many of her pupils face on- coming blindness and all of them have very bad _ eyesight. (Of course, all wear glasses.) THE IMPORTANT thing about these three sight-saving classes is that they gre a beacon to the future when our educational fac- ilities will be what they should be and not only what can be “afforded”—-when children with special deficiencies, physical or mental handicaps, or who are hard of hearing, will be afforded_ a maximum of opportunity to develop in classes geared to their abilities. What an _ infinitesimal begin- ning our three classes are! All of us know of tragic cases, there isn’t a class in a Canadian school without its children with special problems—children who are herd- ed into huge classes to compete in hopelessness with normal children. It is the urgent duty of all cf us to- demand more and bet- ter special classes for our handi- capped children. Can we spend millions for death in war? Can we afford it, at the expense of underprivileged children every- where? How about bringing the ques- tion up at the next PTA meeting in your community? Some suggestions for inexpensive gifts WHAT ARE YOU giving your family anl friends for Christmas this year? For daughter, perhaps, a matching bag and bonnet. Or a cap and shoulder set. Again, perhaps, a velveteen collar and belt pocket ensemble, And for the younger heat a a square dance doll. Then there are gifts like ming tree sets; plastic covers for toast- “er, mixer and silex; crocheted © washcloths. Free patterns for these gifts may be obtained by writing to the Pacific Tribune. —L. LIPSEY CAPSULE REVIEWS Clinical study, sharp dialogue ALL ABOUT EVE Joseph Mankiewicz presents a ruthlessly clinical small, not too important section of humanity—the people of the theater — specifically Broadway . —with devastating results. Bette Davis, George Sanders and others expertly deliver the . sharpest dialogue heard in some time. PANIC IN THE STREETS Plague in New Orleans is the’ vilian of this excellently photo- graphed, documentary type chase story. Stars Richard Widmark, Barbara Bel Geddes and Zero Mostel. Marred by chauvinistic treatment of Chinese seamen and fact, despite setting, practically no Negroes in picture. SUNSET BOULEVARD, Gloria Swanson,’ William Holden. . A slickly made but basically honest approach to the film in- dustry’s callous treatment. of its - former stars. Gloria Swanson works hard in the role of a once famous, now mentally sick movie actress who hopes to make a comeback. She is bested by the ~ script, which failed to provide for living, convincing characters. MISTER, 880 Edmund Gwenn is excellent as “Mr, 880”, an amiable junk dealer who has a habit of going to his rich cousin “Henry” for a loan when he is down and out. “Henry” is a hand press for counterfeit- ing $1 bills. BROKEN ARROW. James Stew- art, Debra Paget. An exciting frontiersman-and- Indian action picture which for ence gives the Indians a break. Especially good for children. CHILDREN’S CORNER THE LITTLE RED BOOK just vaguely remembered the things that took place when he was made at the printers. He knew a story was being printed on his pages as they rolled through the _ printing press. And in the din of the presses and amid the odor of printers’ ink he wondered who would be the first to read that story. Soon he was whisked off to the bindery where they put together all the pages and gave him a fine strong cover to protect them. The color “of the cover was bright red and the little book thought to himself, “All the little boys and girls will be able to see ‘me on the shelf. It won’t be long before I find someone to read my story.” * x: * AFTER THE Little Red The Little Red Book all the books a jolt. (To be continued next week) Book had his cover put on aman came along and packed in g box and closed the lid up tight. Now, the Little Red Book couldn’t tell what was happening because he couldn’t see but he felt the box being earried and:‘then ... THUMP, the box was put down giving Just then he heard a loud roar and whatever the box was sitting on started to jiggle and jiggle *. and the noise seemed to get louder and Jouder. -We must remember that the Little Red Book was in a box and couldn’t see so he didn’t know he was on a truck. But all the noise and the jolting made him frightened just as we are when we don’t under- stand what is going on around us. ’ study of a Child victims of war These are the children of Korea, the more fortunate ones who have escaped the full horror of the war visited upon their country. There are others thousands of them, who have perished in the ruins of their homes, seen their parents murdered by Syngman Rhee’s soldiers, or who have survived to spend their lives maimed and crippled. But MacArthur’s vainglorious communiques never mention them. GRANDMA DOESN'T get riled very easily, but she was really letting off steam the other night. “TI don’t mind giving to the poor, but I certainly begrudge giving to the rich, and if those men in Ottawa aren’t the richest people in Canada i’ll give them back my old age pension!” After replacing her false teeth which she always removes when she becomes heated (they once flew out and practically bit a street car conductor one day when Grandma was unjustly accused of using a transfer over an hour old) _we finally found the cause of her ire. Apparently B.C. is reported to be short of butter, and we may have to- import it. What made Grandma so irate was the report that the Canadian government is holding 40 nfillion pounds in stor- age for which it paid 52% cents a pound. Now it says that if re- tailers here want some, it will mean a price increase, yet re- tailers are paying 57 gents a pound for the fresh butter we are now buying for 62 cents in the stores. In other words, either the gov- ernment would sell its 523-cent butter for 58 cents, thereby mak- ing over two million dollars, or else the dealers are going to cash in on a good thing. One way or the other, some one is going to make a nice profit of 54 cents a pound for forty million pounds of butter which the government bought with our money in the first place. * * * THERE WILL be a lot of school children eating cold lunches this jwinter, and {with poor lunch- room facilities in many of our schools schools our youngsters’ eating habits are being ruined. PACIFIC TRIBUNE — NOVEMBER 24, 1950 — PAGE 4 . room next year. The president of the Franklin School PTA stated that the children have chairs but no tables in their two small lunch rooms and, have to reach down to the floor for their food. Lord Selkirk School has not been able to solve its lunchroom problems either. An empty outside building cannot be used because the school board feels it will be needed for a class- As this question appears to be one of the main problems con- fronting PTA groups, it was felt by both Lord Selkirk and Franklin School members that if a number of PTA’s sent in resolutions, to the PTA Provin- cial Federation the issue could be taken up with the provincial gov- ernment, There is no reason why special funds should not be made available to assist local school boards, as it appears to be atways a question of lack of funds which defers lunchroom expansion. Charles Dickens School has been trying to get a cafeteria for: two years now, but funds are not available. Over 300 children take, lunches in this school, which is— some indication of the need for lunchroom facilities. This general campaign for lunchroom facilities can be suc- cessful if every parent works in his or her PTA toward this goal, and if every PTA took a firm stand on this question the funds 3 would be forthcoming, As an ex- ; ecutive member of one of the PTA roups said to me, “They seem to find lots 9f money in war time for guns, but when it comes to safeguarding our children’s health it seems that no one has any money. What are you going to do to help? — BG.