The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1896-12-26
,ScHoO lJN Lll< ANY OTHER,
Pupils Come and Go 40 They Please
Mostly Men OF FsaTnilv

Pupils Come and Go as They Please
Mostly Men OF Family,
here is q schoo in this city that is
} in session every day in the week, except
Sunday, and two nights besides. The
students have no recess. There is no
stated hour for instru ction, although
it is understood that the day pupils
are expected to be at their desks from
nine o'clock a. m. until five p. M; and
the night pupils from seven until nine.
IF one is tardy no questions are asked.
sIf he wants to be late or dilatory he is
the sufferer. There is no rollcall. There
is no romping, no high jinlks, at amy
time during the day. There is no stick
ing Of bent pins into the seats of the
other pupils; no pitching Of the ball;
no shout in the afternoon; no playing
hockey.
It is a solemn and earnest class. The
pupils are for the most part men of
family, and go to school during the
day. Others work in the daytime and
attend at night. The teacher has never
yet reprimanded one of his pupils. No
pupil has ever been known to make a
face at his teacher when the teachers
back was turned. The average attend
ance is 70. !. .
These pupils are studying for the
purpose Of getting themselves into line
for the ordeal which may make
them members of the police force,
or park policemen, or iremen,
or letter carriers, or clerks in
some department of the municipal
government. The school is private.
The pupil understands when he enters
that the teacher has no certificate to
give. The fact that the pupil has been
proficient in his school does not imply
that the pupil will pass the ex-
animation required by the civil service
rules of the municipality. It does not
presuppose a pull. But it makes the
pupil better qualified for service, and
less timid when he runs up against the
civil service interrogatories. He knows
little more than he might have other
wise known. He knows that the name
of man or a town must begin with
capital letter when he writes out that
name. He knows the location of the
principal cities of the country. He
knows whether Chapultepec belongs
to the war with Mexico or the civil war.
If he is an applicant for place in the
fire department or as a park policeman
he must know how to read print and
manuscript. He must be able to write
and show specimen of his writing by
copying from manuscript. He must be
proficient in addition, subtraction, null.
tiplication and division as applied to
whole numbers. He must be able to
give the location of streets and ferries,
and if he wants to be a fireman he is
told what the city laws require in the
construction of a building, and inordee
to test his memory he is told to visit I
certain house and inspect it, and then
he is required to return and make a re-
port of it. ~. -.
1t he wants to be policeman he
must go over the same ground, in addi-
ton to which he must know, after he
has been instructed, what policeman
must do under certain circumstances.
And if he is looking for place in the
post office or aclerical place in the city
hall he must understan how to manipo:-
ulate common fractions as well as some
other things.--N. Y. Sun.