The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1904-08-18
SCHOOL CLOSING.

Friday night after Il session or
five and a half months of the best
school this community ever had.
On Saturday night an exhibition
was given by the school to which
ali the patrons were invited and
the entire neighborhood turned
out to see and listen to the splen-
did programme of reeitatIons.
dialogues, tableaux, etc., which
had been prepared by Prof. Poun-
ders and his pupils.
The exhibition was enjoyed by
all present, but the valedictory,
delivered by little --Allen,
was the feature of the evening.
lie is II years of age bat deliver
ed yaledictory capable only Of
mattrer years. He said:
"Parents and friends: Our
performances are ended and we
are glad. Exhibitions and exam-
nations are a nuisance, and we
sincerely hope chat we will never
have any more OF them in this
school. Teachers get them up
for the purpose Of sounding their
praises and gaining some cheap
notorietv. OF what use are they
anyhow? Here we've been de-
claiming and reading essays and
performing dialogues this eve
ming, and has it been of any BEN
eit to us OF to you? Not any If
we know ourselves. Yet teachers
insist that we must speak pieces
during the term and have exhi-
bitions at the close. This is done,
parents and friends, to gull you.
The teacher wants to make great
display SO that you.wiIl think he
has been doing great work ana
that we have been learning very
fast. 1t is all humbug. We
would learn a great deal more If
we diin have any nonsense of
this kind, and /. for one, stand
ready to rebel. j stand ready to
rise up aud put down this waste
Of time and money.
.sParents and friends, you are
set of old fools. Yes. you are
all set of unmitigated old block
heads. This is plain language,
dear parents and friends, but it is
the truth and the necessity of the
ease demands that | should speak
plainly. If yoll are not as blind
as bats you could see that these
shows are gotten up just to pull
the wool over your eyes and to
make you believe that our teach
ers are remarkably able and Ell
ciens and that they are doing
Everything to advance the educa-
ti,nal interests of your children.
Pooh! it's all nonsense-its 5 a
humbug from beginning to end.
Our teachers are numbskulls. and
in getting up these exhibitions
they are only taking our time and
attention off other studies. Ii Is
all wrong-it is an outrage and it
ought TO be abolished Immediate
IIy.
"But dear parents and friends,
| / have to say again that you are u
| lot of old fools, and / will tell you
fwhy. You insist upon having
these shows, and therefore, You
are as much to blame-perhaps
more-than the teachers. You
want your boys and girls TO come
out here and show themselves,
| And then likeul soft heads, you
lgo and brag about your children
performances. One old pudding
headed parent will say to ths
other old pudding headed parent
lsDidn our Willie do we'll to
night? He stood up straight and
Ispoke out clearly and distinctly.
And the other old pudding head
will say. And didn't our Annie
read her essay well?' Then pud
ding heal number one says, W.
have a remarkable teacher-ge
haven't had such a teacher FOL
twenty years. And paetlins
4 head number two responds, oh
lhe's an excellent teacher, and
Hope he II remain here for MANI
years to come.
ssThe boy who spoke the Saiu
tatory welcomed you here ant
lsaid that your smiIes would en-
courage us in performing ou1
i pieces. He also said that IL
\ hoped you would come in Otter
Ito see how we were progressing u
Iour studies, and that by doing so
we would be encouraged to g
Howard and mount up TO the tor
i Of the hill Of Science That AZ
lbalderash. The teacher got tina
4 speech out Of q book, and com
|pelIed the hoy to study it, go tina
|Ihe could speak it here tonight
That boy didn't want you here
| I didn { want you here none 9
US wanted y0u here; except Cd
81 -sSss,'.S - g kS..-~s>1 LIT h0W