The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-21

seven minutes tardy. passed through TWO doors
| the inner one closing with q spring-and
| entered the hall IN the center of the building.
| Aft er remaining in the hall about six minutes
| with all the doors closed, she passed out and re-
turned to her home. Each school room is en-
| tered from the central hall, no room having q
| door on the outside. The hall is heated by
| Grossius furnace No. 2; and on that morning the
| temperature of the hall not lower than Go
degrees. Fab. the superintendent, against
| whom the suit was brought, at the main
| building a half mile distant, looking after the
| conf ort of pupils as they arrived and at $50 he
! inquired by telephone about the temperature of
building No 3. The reply was Il think not less
| than ~ degrees anywhere in the building
A rule of these schools. that has been in prac-
| tce for the past ten or twelve years, requires
that tardy pupils not to enter their pective
| rooms during the opening exercise, but to
.Sait in the hall or Office until such exercises are
closed. The girl, in making her escape from the
| building did so against the instruction of the
| superintendent against the instruction of the
| teacher, against the protest of the jantor-who
told her twice not to 90 away--and against the
! daily example of other tardy pupils ever since
she has attended school
Pupils frequently granted permission to
pass from their rooms to the heater in the hall to
warm their feet 1t is the best heater in the
| building for that purpose. The girl, therefore,
/ had at her service a comfortable hall furnished
with the largest and best heater in the building
| besides liberty to go to the office, which was al
ways comfortable and always open 20 tardy pu
pills. She chose however. to go back home.
many other pupils have done, rather than suffer
| the embarrassment of entering her room tardy.
One circumstance which gave some color to
the sensational reports In the newspapers was
the fact that the door to the school room proper
was locked during the opening exercises. This
fact was sufficiently distorted and exaggerated
to lead to the belief that the girl locked out
OF the building This door was the only one in
the building that was locked. This practice of
the teacher. though not important under the cir
cumstances was without the knowledge of the
superintendent, no instructions to that effect
ever having been given.
| general misunderstanding which has preiu-
diced the minds of some good people, is the
| ton that the rule excluding tardy pupils from
| their respective ROOMS uring the opening
cises is enforced as punishment to tardy pupils
| Exactly the opposite is true The rule was en-
acted with the purpose of extending leniency and
| favor to tardy pupls-wlth view or doing the
| best thing for all concerned Tardy pupils, as a
rule, prefer to wait in a comfortable room until
| after the opening exercises when they can enter
| their rooms with much less embarrassment to
| themselves, and much less interruption TO the
school. Some tardy pupils are expected, and
ample provisions are made for their comfort
The girl lives less than four squares from the
school building Other children living three
times as far some of them in the country, at
tended the same school at earlier hour in the
day, and were not injured. Certain facts war
| rant us in the conclusion that the childs feet
| We're not injured that morning and if they were
frosted at ANYTIME 1t is quite certain that no one
connected with the school was responsible. She
| was absent from home less than
7 thirty mfr1rtes--a at least one-hfth
of that time being spent IN q ro rem more com
Portable than half the dwelling houses-s-s -..s
city. The longest continuous period that she
was exposed to the cold less than twelve
| minutes. She was at neighbours house on the
afternoon of the same day, playing as usual,
| with a little boy. She was in school the next
| Monday with new shoes on. was skating on the
| ice In week after with other children, attended
I hoo fnro go ODD 1-I
private school nearly half mile from her home
No physician was called to doctor the case until
five weeks after the alleged injury.
| A rule of these schools which, among Others
shows the special care of the school officers, is
the following when pupils respectfully ask
permission to leave the room they must be per
mltted to do So" We are satisfied that the
| superintendent has never acted against either
| the letter or spirit of this rule. 1t is quite
certain that he never advised, directed or per
| mltted teacher to punish u pupil in any way
for simply leaving the room to attend call Of
nature No one pretends that Mr.. Mich
You'd the limit of the school day
| as fixed by a rule of the school board
The dissertations on red tape" 'procrustean
| methods" and tyranny in school management
| that hays recently appeared in the newspapers,
are exceedingly inappropriate applied to the
schools Of this city. The tendency of the present
management has been in the other direction, Sc
curing to pupils liberties not granted in many
that deserve criticism, they are the side of
leniency and probable laxity in some matters of
| discipline. The superintendent has repeatedly
directed that first of all, pupils must be render
| ed physically comfortable and that this must
be done if nothing else be done. We would
| greatly respect the manliness that might lead
newspaper reporters, and other people, to find
out the facts before making an ostentatious dis
play Of their ignorance concerning the manage
ment of schools.
While the recent action of Mr.. Kitchener en-
couraged for a time certain parents whose chill
dren have been insubCrdinate or otherwise I'M
| fortunate, the schools have gone on in the usual
way The year just closed has been successful
one. A summary Of teachers reports show a
greater enrolment, a larger attendance
a better per cent. Of attendance
than for any previous year. We know of no
persons here who have inspected the schools, or
| who have done their duty 70 their children, and
have made any reasonable effort to cooperate
| with the teachers, that are making any com
| plants against the present management of the
schools. The organization for next year is com
plete anG quite generally satisfactory.
Professor Fertich will appeal his case to the
Supreme Court Meantime the Sheibyville pub
lie schools will be controlled by the officers
elected for that purpose and, as heretofore all
rules and regulations which considered best
for the pupils will be enforced. We particularly
invite al persons interested to visit Schools
confer with the teachers and ascertain the truth
from personal observation. Thus by the
enlargement of the good people of our COM
| munity, confidently expect our schools to
continue to be instruments of great good 10 our
| children.
| HENRY DOBLE,
| JAMES ). JEFFERS. }