Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-04-19
ATIMELY KICK.

kick that will be appreciated by the
young folks who have taken the
county high school examinations. He
says:
As Kansas man I have the right
to kick, knock at, or down any sys-
tenn, schism or ism that don't like.
Therefore We resolve that the present
method or plan of selecting questions
for the examination of pupils seeking
diplomas from country &C hools ie
detrimental to the educational inter
ests of Kansas.
Now the word "we~ include me, a
whole lot of the young ones, their
parents and hope considerable por.
ton of the educators of my county,
although I frankly confess that
have not talked with any teacher on
the subject. Nevertheless as parent
and lover OF children and believer
in nything conductive to the welfare
of mine and my neighbors, the COM
plants that have heard in the past
two years from said children is suf-
ficlent for me to take up cudgel in
their defense no matter how ridicu-
lous may look in doing 30. The
main grievance is that the questions
are too hard: Now it does seem to
me when we take into consideration
the fact that the main object the
pupils have in taking these examina-
lions il to secure certificate or hon.
orable discharge from the little eoun-
try school they have been attending
the past Eve or six years, the position
taken by the pupil in regard to severe
ness of examinations is we'll main
tanned.
l have list of the questions given
out in the past two years. If any
person will carefully 60 over this list
and then say the pupil successfully
answering the same is not capable OF
filing any Office from pedagog to
spellbinder, the truth is mott in them
. and I hereby renounce them as sister
or brother ''My God" as Jim Lane
would say, just look at it. Here
! comes boy barely out of knee pants,
t q little girl in short dresses, who still
q loves her dollie. These children, with
the full consent of their parents, wish
to take or 4 years course of school.
ing in their town High School, pre-
: paratory to teaching or perchance
wishing to attend college at the end
Of the term. Now look at some
of the questions these little fellows
, run up against and if you don't admit
it out .sBlimber's Blimberism," you
can use my head for foot ball, and
wish to remark right here that it is
? in pretty good shape for imitation.
! Here are few carefully picked
out. We realize that we are running
up against quite circumstance aud
we don't wish to do anything at ran
3 dom. Questions: What is meant
: by Free Trade? Imperialism? Pro-
lection? Expansion? These ques'
tons played havoc with pupils last
year and as near as can learn we're
| responsible for most of the failures
r Here are few picked out from this
years list: Write briefly on the fol-
lowing topics: Missouri Compromise,
bred Scott Decision, Kansas-Neb-
i raska Act. Now what I object to In
6 the above ia the terse command to
: write "Briefy." Why not write
copiously? Surely, Kansas teachers
| Will DUCK lu0 WHICH, L Cuy tu6t W y Jul
: pei a pupil who sis saturated with
t such interesting, live topics as the
p Dred-Scott decision to write "Briehy"
. on same is cruel and against the edu-
cational interests of Kansas. Here lie
: another one that makes me sick to
the stomach: Name four men who
have become prominent in connection
with the Spanish American war and
describe briefly the achievement Of
l each. There's that word "Briefy'
again. How many of you can tell
who Matco Polo is. I would like to
comment on few more questions but
l time and space forbids. respect
3 the men at the head of our educa-
3 tional institutions and I would con
i, tribute more money and make more
sacrifices for the cause of education
than any other object on earth.
But think our educators make q
grave mistake in requiring pupils te
answer questions that require vas
amount of newspaper reading to sue
: cessfully answer. We often hear the
| remarks made by unsuccessful COM
petitors for county school diplomas
"Why, they asked me questions or
subjects I never heard of before.
!, And believe very few teachers e.
outside of the regular routine of tex
: books to touch on such subjects ne ou1
late difficulty with Spain, or current
events
Now I will make what I consider
my strongest point and cloee. After
pupil has made one or two attempts