The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1899-04-14

he had taken in the matter. Prof. Ullne
will remain until May 1st. The board
decided not to elect a successor at pres
emit, inasmuch as Supt. Varney stated
that the short time remaining after May
1st could be taken care of without diff
Guilty.
A long communication was read from
Mr.. S F. Barney, in which he went over
the subject at considerable length, re.
gar ding the suspending of his son
/ Charles from the high school, a full ac'
count of which was given at the time
He said he was prevented at the meet
ing of the board at which he was pres
emit some time ago by the extinguishine
of the lights or some other. cause from
presenting the matter as he wished. and
that he had waited all these weeks but
nothing had been done, and the lad is
still out of school He said he was will
ing the boy should have continued with
two studies, but did not desire that he
be put back in the class below.
Mr.. Fletcher said he thought the mat
ter ought to be taken up and settled 10
some manner If the boy could not
take three subjects he ought to be al
lowed to take two subjects as his father
was willing he should. He thought if
the proper course had been taken at
the time it might have been satisfactor.
lily settled.
Supt. Varney made full statement
of the matter so far as he knew, and
said that only the usual course in. the
school, and in fact all schools through
out the country, had been followed.
There must be some regulation to guide
the work of the school.
1t seems that Mr.. Barney does not in
tend to send the boy back to school at
pr esent, as he has been out so long that
he has fallen far behind his classes, but
he wished the boy set right by the
board. The general opinion of the
board was that if the boy was not com.
ing back, there was nothing it could do
in the matter. After some further dis
cussion the president of the board was
instructed to write to Mr.. Barney and
find out what he really wishes in the
matter.
A committee of three from the gradu-
ting class appeared before the board and
as ked that instead of the usual orations
by members of the class that an address
be delivered by some speaker to be Sc.
cured The class asked that the $25
that is usually given by the board for
programs for the class, be given them
for speaker, and they would see to the
programs themselves.
Mr.. Fletcher wanted to know what
the reason was for such change. and
the answer was given that the class was
so large that only a few could appear
on the program during closing ex-
ercises, which worked an injus-
tice to those who could not SO
appear. Considerable of a discus
sion followed in which the members
expressed themselves on the subject
Prof. Varney gave statement as to
how hard it was to determine who of
the class should appear on the program.
Mr.. Parry thought there would be no
harm in making the change for one
year at least.
Mr.. Wilson moved the program as
presented by the class. and which had
been approved by the faculty, be adopt
ed, and the same was adopted by a
unanimous vote of the board Prof.
Varney said that the change of the grad
nation exercises will not deprive the
class of any of the drill, as Mr.. Fetch
er had feared, as each member will
write his or her grafton, hand it to the
teachers to BE- criticised and the same
will be delivered before the school and
any friends who may wish to be pres
emit.
Supt. Varney presented his regular
monthly report This was one of three
written reports which the superintend-
emit makes during the year 1t presents
brief review of the work being done
in the schools, and some of the main
points are as follows:
In entering upon the nominal task OF
preparing my second term report for
the school year of $3.50 have found
the work more in the nature of pleas
ure- The review of the years work
brings out nothing of disagreeable ma.
ture. The advance made in all the es-
|sential departments of school work is
extremely gratifying, and our plans fol
the future are stimulating. A graded
system of schools presents many unsolv
ed difficulties, some that have long been
struggled with and some that have re-
Gently arisen from the changes made in
the efforts to solve others.
1t is no place here to enter into ped
agogical discussion of these evils.
shall, however, call your attention tt
one, viz: The lack of power on the
part of teachers to make a moral i'm
preston upon pupils, due in my opinion
to the brief time that pupil is under
any one teacher. The present system
places child under too many teachers
No one teacher can make careful study
of each child in his home environment
and his physical and mental pecul1ari
fiaS This fanlt which aducotorc h q ".