Omaha daily bee., 1902-05-04
Wants Truant Omc.r named.

OMAHA, May ITO the Editor Of The
Bee: Quite a few things have during the
last few months. called my attention to the
fact that we 1.-THE citizens of Omaha) are
remiss In seeing that our children are sent
to and kept at school. 1t was the general
enacted that boards OF education shall APP
point truant officers with a view to look
after absent school children and have
them sent to school, giving the boards
power to enforce attendance and to punish
the parents and custodians of children who
persisted In ab9entism, but our board has
made this enactment a dead letter as far
as Omaha is concerned. Judging from the
number of men and women making APP
phcation for this office of truant officer,
they at least must nave concluded that II
was the duty of the board to appoint one
or more such officials. For some time no
latterly, seemingly with a view to ascer-
tain II the board could escape making such
law agent was taken to know If IT was
compulsory to appoint. when he gave II as
when such appointments must be made the
board might be free not to appoint; a very
fimsy way of escape, in my estimation,
the want of education and suffering besides
In being sent to work. many of them in
strength of body and mind TO endure the
engaged in. to their loss and injury in all
their future years. At the same time the
board had the opinion of it's superintendent
of schools on the same question, when, as
| reported, ne gave out Inat tnere was be-
tween coo and 1000 Ia pretty vague guess
at numbers after a school census had been
takon) children not attending school, and
that II they were got to go to school there
would require to be a separate school set
aside for them in case their attendance at
the schools we have and mixing with the
present scholars would inture the latter.
l had always thought that our common
sfhGols So were : r open to AL. and rt that every
boast. What contamination can there take
place in Allowing the children of all and
every one to attend school together? II
the moral tone of some of our children is
not so high as 1t should and might be, let
those with brighter homes and better care
help in their contact with the others to
elevate them. Children are not naturally
bad, but are always ready to take hold of
the good and become good II they have the
| chance. Then suffer the children to come
togetl =, mix together and benefit one an
other; besides, what are our teachers In
the schools for than to see that all the
children conduct themselves properly.
With all respect to the Woman's club
and its passing on city school affairs at its
recent meeting, l was disappointed that
the club took no notice of this absentism
of children from school and the number of
Take some of our stores. There are chill
dren of school age In some of them work
ing ten hours a day and on Saturdays from
fourteen to fifteen hours, who at the end
of the day are completely FRUSTRATED from
their exhaustion. This. In my estimation,
would have been a subject calling for the
club's passing upon, more pressing than
as to the appropriatlng of fines and licenses,
whether TO be used for the educating OF
the young or for the educating and reform
ing of prisoners In jail, very likely whose
education was neglected In youth and who
were not considered good enough to mix
thought them better than their neighbors',
P. L. FORGAN.