Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-05-17

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hand, a faculty whose. rule was despot-
L. or otherwise. as happened, but i'll all
cases one from which there was no APP
peal. while the students We're autOma-
tons. whose only role was to obey.
! Now this old TINY regime has been
changed. The faculty granted 10 the
students association Il 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 superstition
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 Il
students governing board to make the
girls go to chapel. The faculty and col
leGe trustees still hold checkrein on
looser one than ever before it was, Vas
sar distinctly recognizing that even Il
girl is a responsible creature and that
in the main she can behave herself
without being watched This is a very
great gain for n girls school.
In the second instance it is not wom-
on or young ladies who take part in
government, but just public school
girls. in a Pennsylvania high school at
Wiiliamsport. The principal, Profess
or w. W. Keichner, 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. Dcspotism i'll school govern
ment, as elsewhere, seems to be pass
ing.
The Williamsport scheme embraces
n 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-
bic 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 n broader citizenship, we
hereby institute Il representative gov
eminent under the following condi-
TONS" etc.
This preparation for broad citizen
ship includes girls as we'll as boys,
mark you. Further, the admirable
document governing the deliberations
Of this enlightened legislature, more
enlightened than the congress of the
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 Il lady and
gentleman from the faculty were cho-
sen TO represent that body on the gov
ernirg board. A boy is president and
a girl is secretary and 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.