The Oskaloosa herald., 1902-11-20

ried on through all the year among
the grade teachers. Several classes
of children were present to illustrate
the work that had been accomplished.
AS the grades have afternoon sess-
ions, the rooms of given grade are
dismissed for this purpose at regular
intervals. Leaving the Longfellow
building at st. Paul on Friday morn
ing, some of us went over to the high
school near the capital and saw the
great body of eleven hundred pupils
meet in the assembly hall for debate
on the questtp of Government Con-
troll of the Anthracite Coal Fields"
We heard the leaders on either side
and found them quite well prepared
but could not stay to hear the con-
clusion of the debate. The order in
this building at recess time was, it
seemed to us, anything but good, be-
cause Of certain rudeness and boist-
erousness so different from the merry
hum of ordinary social intercourse
and in this instance comparing very
unfavorably with the serene quiet we
had just noted in the Longfellow
school,
Not feeling satisfied with what was
accomplished in the two days thu
writer decided to stay over Sunday
and spend another day in the schools
Nine o'clock Monday morning found
us at the north side high school in
Minneapolis where we had opportun-
ity to study more in detail the work
ing of we'll ordered institution. Class
es in history, algebra, physics and bot
any which we visited were doing
satisfactory work but not better than
we see at home. Down in the shops
however, where boys and girls were
doing mechanical drawing and work
ing at the benches admidst the buzz
of machinery, there was a degree of
| interest which could be felt the mo-
ment we entered this department.
On Monday the assembly hall exer-
cises occur each week and on other
days Of the week the A. B. c. and d.
| chorus classes meet, one each day.
Supt. Jordan says the singing in this
school is the best in the northwest.
We had the pleasure of greeting the
$50 pupils of the school and listening
to a good essay by senior girl and
fine solo by a boy of the same class.
The only other exercises were a few
| remarks by the Principal, Mr.. Hobbs,
who among other things made some
hn
hardness. We could not but feel
there was something lacking in the
entire omission of any kind of scrip
ture reading or other acknowledgment
of our obligations to or dependence
upon a Supreme Being the Dispenser
of "all good and perfect gifts"
This, it is understood, is in accord
ance with the recent act of the Mime
sofa Legislation with the object of
entirely secularizing public schools
of the state.
At recess a quarter after IL, &C.
ours something we have never seen
before. Luncn counters were run out
into the spacious halls and the hun
dreds of students came forward with
their tickets, previously purchased Of
four or FIVE pupils stationed at one
of the stairways, to secure something
to eat. One counter contained nice
ham sandwiches and the other arti-
cles costing two cents. On another
counter were cinnamon rolls, apples,
and the like, costing only one cent
each.
Only wholesome foods, including
milk, are sold to the students and
because these are purchased in
wholesale quantities the pupils are
able to eat here cheaper, perhaps,
than they would at home.
This work is IN charge of an expert
enced woman who receives a small
salary for her trouble and everything
| is sold at actual cost. Standing on a
stairway and looking over this great
| body of high school pupils, eating
their lunch in such quiet, orderly
manner, the VIII or INQUIRED Of Fritz.
Hobbs If they had pupil government"
in his school? The answer was quick
and pointed that he had no use for
any such ideas beyond the fact of a
pupils disposition to comply with the
regulations of the school, in this way,
avoiding all trouble for himself and
annoyance to others and in this we
think Mr.. Hobbs is certainly right.
A portion of the afternoon was
spent in the Douglas school, undoub-
tedly one of the best grade schools in
either of the twin-cities.
There we saw some excellent writ
ing of the vertical style, fine drawing
and water coloring, good reading and
number work and more Of the sense
training SO noticeable all over the two
cities. Late in the afternoon we hao
the pleasure of inspecting the great
collection of drawings recently placed
on the walls down at headquarters at
the Court House. The water color
work from the primaries through all
the grades was SHOWN in great abund-
ance and was certainly Of very high
order. Miss Holton, one Of the spec
/ koooLn~o alo1 ahnxuod 80 rr Hoe