The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-01-15
EXCUSED FOR ABSENCE.
Ono Way OF Maintaining D.sci-
pluo in Public Schoo,a

som- rrren'- n,I-"+ to strslEr why Thor
Caiiir-n Eem.inot mt tiome-sAm-
pcs OF Notes f;ccs,ived Ly tho
Lest "f Teachers.
A good many parents OF a good many
different kinds think they can keep
child out Of school without botng called
TO account by my teacher in existence,
says tho Chicago Herald. If the child
plays truant. and leaves home with tho
declared purpose OF going to school, but
goes fishing instead. the parent want,
to know about it. and will in many casts
visit condiGn punishment on tho hoad
of tho offending urchin. But that samo
parent will now and then want to uso
his child for some errand, and will not
consider himself under obligation to cx-
plain tho circumstances TO any ONO. As
Il result. when tho teacher sends her DO
Tito circular, asking why tho boy was
aDsent, this sort Of parent will feel thae
it is really nobody's business, and that
he has right to tlkc his child out OF
school whenever no wants to and for
any thing he secs Git So that it hap
pens the teacher sornotiEcs receives
some very salty replies. 4 fow Of them
lavo been collected in tho various
eohools CT the city and arc horo given to
show what soulo people think OF disci-
plinc. Hero is ono from tho Curling
street father OF n very badly spoiled boy.
Tho lad had concluded 70 20 nuttiny
with ~ lot OF acquaintanccs who bad no
school affiliations to trouble them. lilo
madc no secret of tho fact to his, parents,
and when tho father received noto
from tho teacher he replied to It in this
wise:
EIsa Mil don't mako no difference WY
Jchnay was absent yesterday afternoon
know where he was. and that is enough.
And hero ia one from father, who
dates his reply from Michigan avenue:
Go not consider st necessary to tel nlybo.y
tho reason every the tly boy is 9 li;tlo
i.to II Cct ag % school or Go IS lot set there ut
all !or dly. Will not allow any school teacher
~ ccrnc iDtou lCr,o GnL dicluto to nc low l
snail raise Ely chillreL
And this comes from mother. who
can not understand why America IL
called the land Of the free if she has 10
give an account OF tho movements Of her
daughter. Sbo writes:
MARI was At party. II you want to know IL.
cnl knowcd size Was not Eoin; TO school.
TOUGHER oki.G you: noso Into my business
This is one from woman who has
very queer ideas Of tho way to punish
teacher:
II you don't want 20 teach ny Girl when
send her 10 your school, you don't hnvcto Sac
WIS ubscnt snc dry and tardY another. md you
Ecat Elc note each tiClc. II tsiis thing happcus
again she can fetch her to,l;s homo, nnl
roIt rcvcr let her co 10 your school not M
Lthor day.
One prccocious youth over in Alder
man Jobnson's ward found the note that
lad been scnt TO his homo inQuiring tho
reason of his absence and he set himself
tho task OF writing the excuse. lilo told
tho teacher in his reply that no had TO
stay at homo on business.
lat" said tho teacher, this excuse
Is in your own handwriting"
That's NIL right" said the boy. az
am my own boss at homo. You want m
excuse and there 1t is."
That was as much rs tho teacher could
get out Of him, and when she wrote q
note to tho boys father telling him
about this phase OF the case tbs old
gentleman took tho boys part and told
tho teacher to attend to her business
and no would attend to hia
Another righthandsomc young womun.
who has long been successful teacher
IN 4 school near Humboldt Park, was q
great stickler for discipline and insisted
i'll Two or three notes on having somo
sort of an excuse for the absence OF
pupil Th- parents did not reply and
then sho called two or three times on
tho family, declining to stnte her bust
Eoss to tho mother on account OF that
CorGon's hostile attitude. but declarin.
1T last sho could wait till the father
caino homo from work When no did
como homo he went into tho sitting
room, and was listening to hcr state
Ecnt OF the case when tho mistress Of
.hc house camo IN and put I'm end to tho
conference, saving she had not cooked
Breakfast for her lord all these years to
acc him ST and talk with younger
woman in her own sitting-room. Tho
teacher was nearly paralyzcd by the
onslaught and reiterated without any
thing that looked like an c-cusc
Bridget lIoolihan is rcd-hcadcd and
ftcclilcd and somo Of tho girls call her
Paddy" She remained away from
school two days, and when tho teacher
asked for IN explanation she received
,his reply:
hy GIRL Is jast nS Gcoi ns you arr or anybody
II yo.r school. II h:r faith is Irish lie pas
ais debts. nnl havo kuowcd sono teac. crs
who didn't do that.
1t was uso ess for tho teacher to OK
plain that sho had not twittcd the girl
CT her Celtic origin nnd that sho would
not knowingly permit it. Tho mother
contcndcd that nj tho excuse sho had
to offer for the absence was that shc
would not have hcr girl insulted.
or course thcro is no way TO compel