The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-01-23
OUt 10 OLU1 UUUHE
-~
Eighteen Boys Suspended at the
High School.
Charged With Daubing Yellow
Paint on Pavement.
HAD YELLOW COLLARS
But These Didn't Offend Says
Mr.. WhittemOre.
Suspension Is Indefinite Says
the Superintendent.
HAD YELLOW COLLARS

Because Harrison street. in front Of
the school building, was Iavishly
smeared with great daubs of yellow
paint this morning, eighteen boys,
members of the sophomore class of the
high school, who are suspected of hav-
ing committed the offense, were today
indefinitely suspended.
The boys themselves do not believe
that the cause of their dismissal. They
say that they were dismissed because
they wore saffron hued collars and
blue neckties. Blue and yellow is their
class color.
Today was class day at the high
school for the class which graduates
tomorrow night, and a programme was
given. Events of this kind at the
school are usually construed by the
youngsters as being proper for the ex-
ercise of special liberties. Glass spirit
breaks forth in frothing torrents. It
has been the custom ever since the
school started, and in the old days
were signalized. not with the tame
wearing of colors, and smearing up
valuable property with hideous colors
of paint but with rushes that were
sometimes rather dangerous.
But the succeeding generations of
control have put d stop to such hiIarI-
ty, and the students are now content
and with painting Harrison street red,
yellow. green, brown, white, purple
etcs with their numerals
Last night some of the students took
several barrels of yellow paint in front
of the building and from the looks of
things, used every bit of the stuff. They
decked the asphalt in a deep yellow
until it looked like an acre of SundoW-
ers in the middle Of July.
Usually offenders leave some thing be-
hind them which helps to establish their
identity In this instance it proved to
be the color, although superintendent
Whittemore. who with Principal Miller,
suspended the boys, refused to give the
evidence which they had collected The
color of the class is blue and yellow
aud the spirit which the boys had spilled
over the school during the past few
/ days, and the color which somebody
spilled all over Harrison street last
night, pointed them out as the guilty
ones.
The class day exercises were set for
ten o'clock this morning in the High
School assembly room. AS the dismissal
from the classes was given for attend
ance upon the program, superintendent
Whittemore and Principal Miller noticed
that eighteen members of the Sopho-
more class wore yellow collars and blue
neckties Before they had a chance to
get into the assembly room, they were
all cornered togethed and put into one
of the class rooms and told to remain
there.
About one o'clock when the class day
exercises were over, Mr.. Whittemore
and Mr.. Miller went before the boys and
after a stiff lecture informed them that
they were all suspended indefinitely,
that he had taken the matter under adj
visement, and would confer with the
board of education before making a
/ final disposition.
The boys were then dismissed. Leslie
Lewis. one of those suspended, who
/ lives at 222 East Sixth avenue was seen
about the trouble and said: I'VE We're
suspended because we wore these colors
/ That is what I understood the whole
thing is about. We didn't start any
scrap in the building, or take part in
any rush. We were going quietly into
/ the assembly room when Mr.. White
more and Mr.. Miller took charge Of US
/ and put US into a. room and kept US there
until one O'Clock, when he suspended
u.s.
Two of the boys suspended standing
| close by were talking about the mat
! ter. Where is your blue necktie ano
/ yellow collar2" asked one of the other
/ "Oh." answered the other, Il hung
EN- up on the chandelier in White
more's office.
asked about the matter and said: g
| Suspended the boys because I an
| pretty sure that they smeared the
paint all over Harrison street in from
! Of the building. They were not dis
/ missed for wearing cOlorS, and the
/ boys all know that, too"
What will be done about the mat
/ ter2'' was asked.
81 do not know he answered. "a
have taken the matter under advise
ment and will consider it. The schoo
board meets on February 5. and
may bring it up then The suspension
is indefinite.