Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-08-30
some six hundred pounds. A black

some six hundred pounds. A black
smith and wagon-maker over in Farm
ingtOn heard of it, and several months
ago began corresponding about it. He
wrote several letters, which were prop
erly responded to. but nothing defin-
lite was determined upon. though there
was no kick as to the price. About six
six weeks ago Buck Martin, who
drives twO-mule team, was in our
neighboring town and the b. and W.
told him if he would load up the tire
plate and bring it to him, the pay for
the iron and the hauling thereof would
be forthcoming. Buck being a little
short on hauling about that time, went
to Mr.. Simmerman and offered to take
the plate over and bring back the mon
ey asked for it-eleven dollars. Mr..
S., thinking he conld trust Buck to
that extent, consented, and the color
ed brother loaded up the metal and
hied him and his mules and his wagon
to Pennington. Next day he came
back with his wagon and his mules,
but no money. He said, with a most
sorrowful face: "Mr. Sinaman, done
lost dat 'leven dollars outen my pock-
et How l lost it or jist whar l lost
it, l doan know; but l lost it sure
enough" 1t was indeed sorrowful
circumstance. If Buck had spent it
| for good red Ticker. or lost it on
| Jackpot, or shot it away in that clas
steal game called ''craps," its loss
wouldn't have been wholly without
compensation. But as they don't dis
pense intoxicants of any sort in Farm
| ington, and kyards and bones are I'M
known over there, Mr.. Martin is not
to be blamed for not taking hand and
blowing in the tire-plate in a sports
manlike manner. So he lost it out of
hi5 vest pocket; jist how he lost it, or
where. of course he doesn't know. He
Just lost it!
Next Saturday the Ironton school
board will meet again and again vote
for principal of the public school.
This will be the third or fourth time
the same question has been up for de-
termination. and to the patrons of the
school it looks very much as if the di-
rectors were lacking in seriousness,
Justice, or good horse sense-if not in
all these essentials. If the matter is
approached with an eye single to the
good administration of the school for
whose support the whole community
pays, it seems to us it must be quickly
determined, one way or another. We
understand that Messrs. Edgar, Byers
and Whitworth are in favor of again
employing Prof. Vance, while Messrs.
Gay, Hutchins and Newman are for
anybody-not much matter whom-to
defeat him. The three former gentle
ing Prof. Vance in preference to an I'M
tried stranger, that he is a good disci-
plinarian, successful educator, and
careful. tireless worker in his profess
sion. The latter three oppose him
why? Because, they say, he is post
master! That if he wasn't they would
willingly vote for him. We respect
fully submit that this sounds like nom
sense, to give it no harsher name. Mr..
Vance was postmaster and principal
last year: did he neglect his duties per-
tanning to the latter position? Was his
work less thorough, his school less eff
ticient, than in former years. when he
was only principal9 This, gentlemen
of the board, is the sole question for
you to consider as guardians of the
school. The three directors favoring
him say that if it be shown that Mr.. V.
has been in any way delinquent in his
administration, or if it be demonstrated
that the good of the school demands a
change, then they will favor some 9TH
er applicant. This challenge has been
out for months. and the reply is. she
is postmaster. So much for the posi-
lions of the directors. Now let us talk
a little about the too often ignored in
terests of the patrons of the schOOl-Of
those who have to go down into their
pockets for. the school, and who care
little for the animosities and prejudices
which have so long kept open this I'M
necessarily vexed question. Our school
tory conveys not prOtitless lesson to
all who desire to act outside the pale
of personal feeling and prejudice. Look
over its bead-roll of teachers-princi-l
pals-for twenty-five years, and tell us
how many have proven successful; how
many have not been found wanting In
some essentials; and how often the
school has been on the verge of ruin
by reason of the inefficiency of its
head. Not all were failures, but many
were. We believe that three of all
those successfully chosen proved equal
to the task assumed, and one of these
three is Prof. Vance. We don't desire
to deal in adulation, but the recognized
facts are that he is good governor;
that he wrought order of disorder, and
reduced to obedience set of hitherto
unruly boys who had terrorized the
school and made it hazardous to the
more tractable and Obedient pupils: |
(under his supervision the teachers in
the other departments have not been
guyed and defed; nor innocent little
girls insulted: nor the walls covered
with obscenity): that he is a scholar
and an efficient educator: that he prides
in his work and is faithful to his trust. |
As an offset to all this-as a reason
for discarding him and taking up a
new and untried man-his OppOsers
tell us that he postmaster Is
there nothing behind this? Is there no |
politics in it9 If Prof. Vance were a |
good Republican would the fact of his
being postmaster cut any figure with
some of those now opposing him? We
don't know. Maybe in that event some
of those now for him would be against |