The Savannah morning news., 1904-07-03
FROM the New York Sun.

Discipline
From the New York Sun.
Surprise tests to show, for one thing
how faithfully rules are observed. and
for another to accustom persons pre-
viously drilled to act properly in case
of emergency, are made of many peo-
pie and in many ways.
They are made, for example, of en-
CINE men on railroads, to see how close
ly they are obeying signals. These
surprise tests are made by changing
track signals. A common test is to
put a signal in a stop position at an
unexpected time and place. Tests are
also made with torpedoes. and with
flags, and with lanterns; with switch
lights out, and with lights out in
semaphores; with block signals and
with railroad crossing semaphores at
danger.
Another way of observing the engine
man. a way described as surprise
checking, is by the employment of SUI
pervisors and inspectors who, travel
ing on the road. observe the conduct
of the engine man in the face of sig
mails presented to him in the ordinary
course And various officials take note
Of the engine mans observance of sig
nails, as do track men, fiagmen ana
signalmen: all these various ways
other than by surprise tests consti-
tuting the means more generally EN-
ployed.
Surprise tests are frequently made in
the city's public schools, The bylaws
of the Board of Education require that
fire drills or rapid dismissals of the
children shall be held at least twice
a month. These drills are required TO
be held under varying conditions. as
when the school is assembled in whole
or in part, while all the pupils are
| engaged in the regular class exercises
in short. under all the conditions that
may exist in the school. But the or
dering of the drills is left very largely
to the discretion of the principals, ana
as a matter of fact in a great ma
iority of cases these drills are surprise
tests.
When the school reopen in the fall,
after the long vacation, each schooi
has many new pupils, to whom the
school building is entirely new ana
many of the older pupils, as they ad-
vance in their studies, are shifted from
among more or less unfamiliar sur
roundings. Then at the beginning or
the term, the purpose of the drill is
explained to the children, and the
drills are made with elaboration I'M
ill the children have become accus-
toned to them and accustomed 10
making their exit from any OF the
several rooms in which they might oe
at the time the signal was given. Al
e1Irprisa tests NAV be
made at any time.
The signal for the fire drill is given
| by the principal, who can touch
button on his desk and strike gong
in every room in the school; ana ne
may give the signal at seven minutes
past 10 in the morning, or at three
minutes past 2, or at any hour and
minute he may see fit, without any
previous warning. At the sound of
the gong in every room, the teacher
commands Attention." and forms the
pupils in line; and then to the SOUND
Of lively march music played on the
pianos the classes, headed by their
respective teachers, march out.
And they do not simply march out;
but, still preserving its formation, each
class marches to a spot designated for
it and there halts; and then, If this
was a fire drill only, the classes, when
! that order is given, are about laced
and. headed by their teachers, march
ed back to their respective rooms,
and the school duties resumed.
All the children like the fire drill
and take to it most kindly and OBJ
! serve its discipline faithfully, the re-
fractory or unruly ones included. 1t
is pointed out that it was such a boy
who. exiled for a time to some distant
part of the building, discovered and
promptly reported the fire in the
Brooklyn school from which, the other
| day. in a real fire drill. the pupils
marched out in such splendid or
! der.
The children all work together with
interest. attention and order when it
| comes to the fire drill: and when some
| day they have the fire drill signal
! sounded with the one added stroke
that means business they are ready
! for it, They have marched out in per
| feet order and quickly, time and time
again. and they know they can do
| it now.
And now they do not stop to put
| away their books or to get their wraps
! as they do when a surprise drill is
made in winter or in stormy weather,
| but in all the rooms the lines are
| formed instantly, and at the word,
with music playing, the marching out
begins. Everything has been provided
shall be emptied, and what shall be
7 done in case one or more exit doors
are for any reason temporarily closed.
and it is provided that no lines shall
intersect.
In every case in which fire alarm
| has been sounded under the present
! system of fire drills the teachers have
behaved with GOODNESS and courage,
and in no instance has there been a
panic among the children. There may
be some excitement among the children,
and some of the little ones may cry;
| but there is no confusion, nor any
connection. They all obey orders and
march with steadiness.
| What the confidence inspired by the
| fire drill and the surprise tests will
| do for the children in one way is
shown by a school principal who told
of a case in which the children in Il
school kept on with their studies with
| out excitement, though smoke was
| coming into The building from a fire
in the neighborhood, from which fire,
| however, there was really no danger
to the school. What this confidence,
coupled with the stress of discipline.
| will do in case Of actual fire in a school
building was shown in a case, told of
| by another principal, in which classes
| going out marched in perfect order
| mast the door Of a room from which
| flames were issuing.
The greatest danger Of panic comes
/ from the outside, from parents who
may storm the building in their ankle
/ -, "A y,rasarVe their children To avert