The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-11-30
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thusiasm with which the children
. are entering into The Tribune's edu-
cational contest. Indeed, it is probable
that fewer little folks were noticed on
| the streets during the past two days
| than at any previous holiday recess in
! several years. They have been all in
doors. sitting Turk fashion, tailor
fashion or in one or another cramped
up position, studying Websters I'm
| abridged Dictionary to find out how
many words oculd be made out of the
name of this paper.
One small maiden gravely asserted
yesterday that she had gone over every
| word in the dictionary for the third
time, truly appalling declaration.
a future voter proudly announced
that he could scarcely take time to eat
his Thanksgiving dinner, so busy was
he in searching for words. This state
ment, when boy and his appetite are
considered, is significant.
Among those who have expressed
opinions on the subject is IL prominent
teacher, who while he vociferously la
mented the distraction from lessons
which the contest produces with the pu-
pills, he still believed the results would
be recognized in the school work later.
pupils refer to the dictionary nearly as
much as I desired said he. They
have meagre vocabulary and n limited
knowledge of spelling. Suddenly they
have gone to studying the dictionary as
if they We're demented on the subject,
and they simply neglect everything else
for that. 1t is most veXatious, and yet
do believe that they will gain much
good from this contest Many come
from foreign speaking families and it
must naturally benefit them to learn
letter combinations
The demand for 1898 dictionaries is
unprecedented, and the number of peo-
pie whose authority on words dates
back quarter of century at least is
an ever increasing surprise. Mean
while the children are studying words.
words. words, and dreaming of watches
and divers coveted gifts.
1t seems to me there is no truer
test of breeding than the manner in
which we treat those whom we con-
slider. whether with justice or not, our
Interiors. The great difficulty is the
matter of deciding this question as to
inferiority. OF course the constitution
of the United States says that all men
are created equal. We know that all
women are not. The wise trainers of
that great paper which has made illus
triouS ancestry for as many thousands
as that capacious vessel, the Mayflow-
er, made conveyance for. were canny
in not specifying that all women be-
longed to the same category.
A bright young woman remarked the
other day: Dear me. l suppose no.
body is contented with her lot The
servant girl looks upon the factory girl
with envy and the factory girl regards
the clerk with the same feeing-that
the acme of her ambition would be n
place behind the counter where she
might haughtily or graciously, accord
ing to her own sweet will, sell beauti-
ful things all day and have every night
out. The clerk sees the teacher with
shorter hours and apparently receiving
more distinction and more respect (al-
though this is "a misapprehension and
dolorous mistake in Scranton)
and she sighs "Oh if l could only be n
teacher and have my Saturdays, and
only work until half-past three every
day! and have long summer yaca-
tom And then l suppose" she con-
tinued, that we teachers all look at
some otnerS degree or more beyond
us. as we think and covet their places.
and thus it goes on up to the first in
the procession Really the only persons
who are actually contented must be the
very ignorant and very poor who have
no position to sustain, no heart burn
ings for ungrasped opportunities, no
elusive ambitions. but who are satis-
fled II they can get enough to eat"
But there are those who treat their
servants with the utmost consideration
who would minister to them with their
own hands when sick, who are pleas
ant to the girl in the store who sells
ribbons and are angels of mercy TO the
poor and yet who would be cruelty in
solent and offensive in their manner
toward some one who happened to come
into their vicinity from another set, or
whom they might superciliously decide
to be an intruder, That is the place
where breeding tells. Usually the sort
mentioned above is noticed as coming
from persons who themselves are pre-
cariously clinging To the fringe of So
ciety and who feel that they must
frantically kick out at any other as
pirant who might endanger their own
hold. But occasionally such tendencies
are seen in those who are most secure
in their lofty sphere. The fact of the
breeding remains the same.
i think of q lady of assured nnsition