Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-06-10

PRINCIPAL TOO lNou's'T'vE
This Informant, Whose Name Is With
held, Says However, That veelker Is
One of the Brightest School Men In
the State and Has Brilliant. Future
Before Him.
Special to rlmes-Republican.

Des Mbines, June 10.-A great deal
has been printed of the interesting
school situation at Ida Grove and of
the claim that athletics was allowed
to run the school. This the school and
many of the people there deny while
Paul Voelker, the late principal Of the
schools, claims that the accusation is
true. A man who became acquainted
with the situation from being on the
ground, and who is not interested in
either side of the controversy, throws
ton and while he declares tEat Pro-
fessor Voelker is undoubtedly one Of
the sIhartest young teachers of the
state, yet his indiscretion and lack of
ability to handle a community of peo-
pie was chiefly the cause of the trou-
BILE and not the question of athletics
at all. Inasmuch as Mr.. Noelker's
interview In these columns gave his
views of the situation it does not
seem out of place to give the situa-
ton as seen by our informant.
sss
'Voelker himself was the real issue
lat Ida Grove and not the question Of
athletics and its running the school,"
our informant declared today. For
fear he might become entangled in the
controversy in which he had no per-
sonal interest his name is not given.
There are a lot of people in Ida Grove
who are remarkably bright and well
posted men. There is man by the
name of Reed, who has been on the
board of education who could discuss
the state. He has taken an interest n
the schools and is an idealist. He
wants things to become ideal at once.
He takes the best school Journals.
reads the best and latest books on
school topics and is thoroughly post
ed. There are other business men
there who do the same.
sss
sThe one great difficulty with the
Ida Grove people is that they want
their ideal plans put in effect too soon
and do not give person time to work
up to them. But Voelker instead of
using their interest in school matters
to get the schools to that situation
gave too much attention to his own
standing in the community. 1t was told
me by leading citizens that Voelker
would frequently call into his office
some high school student and quiz
him on whether his folks had been
saying anything about him and his
work either complimentary or other
wise. The students Of course as might
be expected, would return and tell their
parents about the incident. On one
occasion he is said to have gone down
into the eighth grade, where the pupils
were reported as not liking the princi-
pal. He gave each one slip of pa
per and asked them to state on it
whether or not they liked him and the
reasons. These children also told
their parents all about the incident
and the parents are said to have taken
the position that Voelker was too in
quisitive.
81 was told that the pastor of the
church to which Voelker belonged
thought he was the best agency for
morality the city had ever had and
praised Voelker because he occupied
the pulpit nearly every Sunday even
ing giving the pastor time to do mis-
sionary work in other smaller towns
about and especially praised Voelker
because he did not hesitate to attack
the vice and corruption in Ida Grove.
But this of course secured the host1l-
ity of a large element of the people
against Voelker. For these reasons
became convinced that Voelker made
himself the issue there. He was be-
fore the people too much and they re-
sented it. I believe Voelker one OF
the brightest men in the state and he
undoubtedly has a bright future be-
fore him but the athletic situation was
not as paramount in Ida Grove as
Voelker himself"
Professor Charles Cumming has dis
covered a means of fixing the wall
where the Blashfield painting is to
go so that the painting will not be
ruined by the crack that for twenty
years capital commissions have failed
to close. The crack is thru the center
of the space above the grand stair
case. With the changing temperature
of the seasons the crack changes so
that it is impossible to close it. The
wall seems to sort of grind and cam
vas placed on the wall would be ruined
by the crack. 1t seems to have been
there for many long years and has
caused every capital commission trou-
BILE Professor Cumming suggested
that false wall on steel lath be put
up and at once the idea was thought
feasible and the workmen are now en-
gagged in fixing it. The plastering has
been torn off and the false wall will
be placed a small space from this. 1t
will be fastened to the brick wall but
in such way that the changing po-
sition of the crack will not affect it.
Tba wort. of fearing ont the scaf-