The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-10-21

/ election which VIII take place November
| S. viii not be accompanied with any great
I degree OF success and the result win by
no means be the registered opinion OF the
majority Of the voting population. Regis
tration closes on October Is. Yesterday
not more than 1870 people had placed their
/ names on the books az the board OF edu-
/ cation Office and II regisera is as slow
/ In the future as IL has been in the past.
| not more than 30co voters will take part
/ in the coming election. At school elections
/ in the past about 5000 votes have been
cast. But 1t is different now. In those
/ days people were not compelled to register.
Why" said one person yesterday. who
has a favorite candidate. II am ashamed
TO ask my friends TO go up here and regis
ter. II requires time TO leave your bus.-
ness and make the trip and I have not
the heart to say: Take an hour Off and
go register They have other things to
do, these friends Of mine, and so / guess
that the name OF my candidate. as the
rain said 10 the dust, is mud
The women Of this city who have al
ways taken a great interest in the outcome
OF school elections, are not doing their duty
this year. Some OF them are REGISTERING.
but they viii have TO do some good work
during the next few days IL they wish to
make any kind OF a showing al the COM
ing election.
IL is believed that the law requiring re-
gfstration at school elections will result
in great falling of in the vote. Women
do not care 10 tell all about themselves
just 10 cast one lone solitary vote that
election her way. Men don't object TO an
sWering questions, but a woman doss.
Even in this woman's day, the members
of the sex consider the age question a
| very delicate one and If she wishes TO
! register under the new system she must
at least admit that she is over twenty-one.
Women who are forty object TO doing that.
II a candidate does not wish women TO
vote he may accomplish his work by en-
ploying a man to stay at the registration
office while the young woman who has
charge OF the books is disposing of voters.
So long as a man is there women viii not
register II they should do so the man
would learn their age and then their life
story would be an open book.
Those who claim to know all about wo-
men say that II Is the matronly maiden
who objects to telling her age. The woman
who is not more than thirty-three will al
ways sing out "twenty-sIx." and while
she bushes at the same time the thing
causes her no particular worry. But the
woman who Is over forty hesitates a long
time before she tells the truth Yester-
day a woman came into the office of the
board of education.
lis this where you register?" Yes,
this is where you register.
The woman gave her name and thought
that she had finished. She was about TO
leave the room, when the young woman
who was writing, said: Your age,
madam" ooh, yes, yes, my age. | al
most forgot thai murmured the woman
You put down the age do you? she
whispered I'VE do" said the young
woman, and then she added under her
breath, when We can get it. We'll,
said the woman. who wanted TO register,
but who did not care TO reveal the only
secret of her lfe. Just put down the
legal age. twenty-one."
The hand of the registration clerk
trembled. big drop Of ink got tired and
fell off the pen. making its mark on the
page, and the woman sighed. The regis
tration clerk wrote or and then said:
How long have you been in this state.
madam "Must I answer that. too?"
IF you wish to register" ''Well. 1 have
been here thirty years"
And so it stands on the register: Age.
Il: resided I'm the state thirty years.
The woman's vote may be challenged.
Those who have watched the present
registratio so far as II has gone claim
that the complexion Of the registra-
ton has free text book hue about it..
From the business ranks very few have
appeared 10 register. They are delaying
the important step until the last minute.
with the probable result that many Of
them viii not get a vote. Those who
favor free text books believe that the
system viii be adopted those who oppose
It say II will be buried. Very few Of
those who are taking an interest In the
fight have publicly expressed their views
in The matter. Superintendent Barnard
has been interviewed but he will not
talk Il is understood that he Is opposed
10 the system. and does not think that IL
should be adopted in this or any other
district The Chilberg-W Wells crowd who
are said 70 favor free text books. have
not as Yet sprung their candidate 10 sue
coed Churchill on the board. 1t is be-
lieyed that they will do as their enemies
did last year when they elected Brewer
and Van HOutsn-wait. Edmund Bow
den. the insurance man. IS in the race
and IS thought 10 represent the opposi-
ton.
Teachers Views.
Henrietta X. Becker. who IS teacher
books. She said yesterday:
'As the question OF free text books ls
AZ present agitating the minds OF Seattle
/ citizens. 4 may be of interest to the pub
lie 70 hear OF the experience OF one who
| has attended schools IN which all hooks
and materials were free from the primary
grades through the high school. Il was
my privilege 70 attend for seven years
the schools Of New York city. where free
text books have been IN Use since 1854 In
all these years never heard 3 COMPLAINT
from 4 student or al unfavorable remark
from a parent on the subject Both chill
dren and parents lock upon the books as
4 the property Of the school as much a.
desks and seats. snd the books are under
the same supervision and receive the same
care. Theorists on The subject claim that
The children Viii rutllats the books IL trey
are not their own. but experience has
shown that while n careless o. destructive
child feels that he has a perfect r,eht %
GO - he likes With his own. he under
stands perfectly that school property mas.
not bs destroyed. have often had a book
on which mine was the fourth or STR
name. and never have had one that Vss
Extensively so.lsd. marked or torn
"Tas children IN %ew York re~efves
taa.r books tire first day they entered tha
school the teacher wrote on TIRE inside ~
the cover the name of the ehild date ard
condition % ;he book. Then the child VS.
requlred 20 have these books neatly ever
ef with cambria Or calico within a certain
sine. and cGce cr twice a month all boola
were examined by the teacher u a~w
pua1 aeseute3 himself from school for
,hree DAVIS his books were sent for avs
helc untl his return. know o. bat ve~v
few cases whore books were carried ar
t5 tte seacAeTs made o. 3 gof-- - honor