The Coconino sun., 1891-10-15
rLAasrArY PUBLIC SCHOOL.
Interesting Lettsr tn Parents and Chill
dren.

departments and classes having begun
work with an interest which promises
success, 1t is the purpose of this article
to urge prompt andregular attendance.
The acquisition of knowledge is by
no means the only object aimed Mt in
education. The purpose Of the school
is to turn boys and girls into honest,
earnest, scholarly, selfrespecting, high
minded men and women.
care not, if twenty years from now,
my pupils shall say II don't remember
a single fact in history or mathematics
that learned at his SCHOOL, il they
may also truthfully say, .'but it was
there i learned to think and act for
myself, received an inspiration and de-
sire to be somebody and amount to
something in the world, and formed
habits of punctuality and attention to
whatever is before me that will last
me through life."
Aside from his own personal loss of
time aud interest, which is consider
able, the tardy pupil is hindrance to
the progress of his more punctual
ella ssmate. If classes are in recitation
VIII en- he enters, the work Of the entire
school must be suspended till he has
shut the door, deposited his cap and
lun ch-basket in their proper places
and skulked to his seat.
IL he has been absent from recita-
ton his classmates must wait and his
teacher must take time To explain till
the subject is made clear to his under
standing. There is close relation
between every lesson and the one
which precedes it. He can not fully
understand today's lesson because he
was not present ut yesterdays recita-
ton. He must thoroughly understand
today's lesson or he cannot get to-
morrow's. While the teacher is con-
suming this extra time eXplainingwhat
is of little interest to him, for as Il
rule tardy boys are not deeply inter-
ested in their studies, the rest of the
class feel that they are being unjustly
deprived of the advantages which Il
regular and punctual attendance should
secure to them.
The pupil after II weeks absence,
comes back to school, and rs the work
which he finds the class doing, bear a
relation to, and depends upon princi-
pies with which the class became
familiar while he was absent and with
which he is entirely unacquainted, he
is discouraged, becomes careless and
indifferent and would receive a better
education in the shop or store where
he would be compelled to be at his
post every day by seven o'clock.
y. expects the teacher to explain to
, him without previous study, what ii
has taken his class Il week to learn.
As well Chough the simile is poor
one, for education is not u filling pro-
cess) refuse him his two pounds of food
daily for week, and then attempt to
relieve his starved condition of body by
forcing the whole fourteen pounds into
his little stomach mt one meal.
The merchant doesn't want the tardy
boy. The mechanic has no use for
him. His employer can always dis
pense with his services. 1t seems tome
that his only friend is his mother. o,
that she would teach him to be pune
tual! How unfortunate to be behind
time,
A railroad train goes laundering
along at an increased rate of speed
toward station which it should have
reached IL quarter Of an hour ago, and
at which il should have met and passed
another train. As ii rounds curve
there is II collision and hundreds Of
men, women and children are ushered
into the presence of God because an
engineer was behind time.
A man is to be hung. TheG Governor
has sent Il messenger with his pardon,
but before he reaches the prison, the
moose has been adjusted and an inno-
cent soul passes into eternity because
u messenger was behind time.
On the plains of Belgae is gathered
"a mighty army of infantry, cavalry
and artillery, under the command of a
mighty conqueror, once The Little
Corporal" but now the pride ofFrance
and the fear of Europe. Opposed to
it is another splendid army well COM
manded by the great '.lron Duke" of
England. The two armies meet, and
Napoleon dies an exile on the island of
st. Helena because one Of his generals
was behind time.
These tardy boys will 20 through
life behind time. Too late for the
train; too late at the polls: too late to
the battle; and when each has reached
manhood and feels that the pleasures
and cares of life would be sweeter and
lighter If shared with fairer and
better being, when il seems to him
that the possession of some bright
angel of feminine lovcliness to influence
his steps along lifc's journey would be
the acme of earthly happiness, he finds
that like the cbirping chick in the egg
which the Irishman hastily swallowed,
he spoke to late"
Or il fortune does seem tosmIlc upon
him for time and seems disposed to
make him a happy benedict the printer,
the tailor, and the jeweler find him
tardy in his appointments, and at the
last the bride aud assembled guests |
wait in vexation of spirit for his COM
ing.
In that great Day when the trumpet
shall blow, when the wise and the |
foolish shall awake, and the SONS of
earth array themselves oncc more in
their habilimcnts Of clay. when the
bell To the school-room of Glory its
4 IL Il. l.. L L