Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1902-07-10


ic or otherwise, as happened, but i'll all
peal, while the students were autOma-
tons, whose only role was to obey.
Now this old TINY regime has been
changed. The faculty granted to the
students association n charter of its
own, and that charter, like the cOnsti-
tuition of the United States, conferred
on the young women certain rights that
not even the faculty can take away.
The rights also involve duties, and
among these are the maintenance of
order in the college buildings and
grounds, quiet during study hours and
the establishing Of all regulations for
open air exercise The powers that be
still claim the right to boss" the gym
nasium, it seems. On the suppositiOn
that girls do not know what is good
for them the right to enforce attend
anCe on chapel service is reserved to
the faculty Perhaps they thought
there could not be power enough in n
students governing board to make the
girls 20 to chapel The faculty and col
lcge trustees still hold Il checkrein on
the young ladies, but 1t IS a longer
loOscr one than ever before it was, Vas
sar distinctly recognizing that even a
girl is n responsible creature and that
in the main she can behave herself
without being watched. This is n very
great gain for Il girls school.
In the second instance it is not WON
en- or young ladies who take part In
government, but just public school
girls, in n Pennsylvania high school at
Wiliamsport. The principal, Profess
or w. w. kcichner, to his credit be it
spoken, devised the educational repub-
lie wherein pupils themselves, and girls
as well as boys, are members of the leg
islature. Despotism III school govern
mcnt, as elsewhere, seems to be pass
ing
The WiIiamsport scheme embraces
constitution and bylaws under which
the co-seX legislature works 1t con
Sists of two bodies. of which the
board of education may be called the
senate; the other, including pupils and
two members Of the faculty, is the
house Of representatives. The pream-
Bile to the constitution says among 9th
er things:
"Realizing that we can repay the
city and the state best by becoming
good citizens and believing that self
government in school affords the best
training for broader citizenship, we
hereby institute a representative gov
ernment under the following condl-
tiOns," etc.
This preparation for broad citizen
ship includes girls as well as boys,
mark you. Further the admirable
document governing the deliberations
Of this enlightened legislature, more
United States, provides that the board
OF governors shall consist of two men,
bers of the faculty and "a boy and girl
from each class" Following along the
line Of perfect sex equality lady and
gentleman from the faculty were chO-
sen to represent that body on the gov
erning board. A boy is president and
a girl Is secretary ana treasurer. one
notable feature Of this system of gov
ernment is that not even the board Of
education itself can pass regulations
for the government of the pupils I'M
less their own board cOncurs In the
measure They themselves help make
the rules and help pass sentence on
those who break them. Instead Of be-
ing reported to teacher, disorderly or
improper conduct is reported to the
board composed mostly of pupils them
selves, and they pass sentence. This
excellent arrangement will prevent
schoolgirls from acquiring the name Of
spies and tattlers, which some of them
occasionally get.
ELEANOR WINKELMANN.