Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-08
Vacation is almost over.

Vacation is almost over.
one week from tomorrow morning, at
. o'clock September 16, to be exact
the schools will reopen for another pusy
nine or ten months. Thirty-five thousand
pupils is the estimate the school autnori-
ties place on this years enrolment, ana
this vast army will be commanded by a
regiment of 100 teachers
For the seventy-nine schools OF the
city. more than 100 buildings are required,
for in some instances there are two and
even three buildings In group. Even
these are not sufficient to keep up with
the marvellous growth OF the schools,
and hardly month In the year but there
are half a dozen new buildings in course
Of construction.
Every train into the city this week
will bring back from the mountains ana
eeashore host of sunburned youngsters
whose one topic is the close OF vacation
and the opening of school. They tax
about 1t at all times, make II the supJect
of their games. eat with it and dream
of it.
Among the stay-at-ho the situation
is much the same. In the parks and on
vacant lots the little ones gather ana
talk over last years troubles.
In subdued tones they exchange conn-
dences and opinions of the various teach
ers they have met in their former ex-
periences. They wonder what the new
pedagogues will be like, and If they VIII
gcold or inflict harsher punishment when
certain rules are violated
OF course, every boy and girl knows
that punishment is inevitable, but there
is a fascination in the anticipation OF
how a teacher will treat first ofenses.
will she be real angry and send fellow
to the principal just for whispering.
or will mild remonstrance caution one
that such proceedings are not to be In
dulged in and will meet with her dis
approval?
1t is so hard to plunge right into school
duties with it's hard problems and staid
decorum Arithmetic, oh the horror of
so many figures, and is it the dividend
or the divisor one must get for an an
swer? OF course pronoun is something
in grammar, but who heard anything of
1t during the long joyous weeks OF va
cation?
Troubles for Teachers
With the girls. the chief object in life
is to look rice on that day of days, the
first day of school. The gowns and rib
hons that seemed so appropriate all sum
mer are not to be thought of, and moth
ers are importuned to buy all sorts OF
new finery, something different than 1
had last year."
No such trouble with the boy-what's 8
the difference in clothes, anyway? Only
after considerable coaxing will he be per-
euaded to wash his face, and the worst
of all is to get back into shoes and
stockings, when he has been barefooted
all summer. With shamefaced air he
appears for final inspection as he hears
the school bell ringing, and knows there
~ for. n ra1 oh a n
With the teachers the date for the re-
sumption of school duties brings to mind
a score of eager faces and long rows of
desks. No more delightful mornings on
the beach, with the surf Just far enough
away so the tailor-made bathing suits
won't get wet. All picnic parties are
now but matters of history, and even the
ubiquitous summer engagements must be
forgotten.
With uprequited sighs, the liren duck
and white shoes are laid away, and as
they disappear in the depths of trunk
or are consigNed to the dark corners of
the wardrobeS milady wonders for the
fiftieth time If he were really pros
porous ranch owner, or only dry goods
clerk, that last proposed.
Vacations are such delightful things to
plan and anticipate, one is never sure
Just what kind of people one will meet,
and the uncertainty of 1t lends luster
TO the attraction of it all. But after II
IS all over and one looks back, 1t seems
go emptg, so lacking in details from what
one expected. and besides one must now
get back to work.
But only for the first day does the
thoughts of daily struggles with the three
Rs disturb one's peace of mind. After
that, when the routine has been firmly es-
tablished, everyone. teachers and pupils
alike. are glad it is time to study and
sigh no more for the long, careless days
of vacation time. In a week most of the
troublesome rules are remembered, and
ae the mysteries of new problems are
unraveled, there Come again The spirit
of rivalry and emulation. the desire to