Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-02-12
ONLY 50 PER GENT
GET CERTIFICATES
Second Examination Of Teach
ers Show Conditions Sim
liar to First
THE APPLICANTS ARE ALL YOUNG
Majority Had Never Held Certificates
-Pardons Committee Takes Up
the Betsy Smith and Weems Cases
High Compliment to State Normal
School.
n - ,r;r,a.-pan,,hI,can

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Feb. Estate Super
intendent Riggs says that at the second
examination of teachers under the new
! law there were 1879 persons who wrote
the examination, the answer papers
were all read and marked by the ex-
aminers in one week, another week was
required for the re-reLding of the
papers near the passing mark, for tab
ulating markings and for transmitting
returns All returns were forwarded
to the county superintendent on Feb
ruary 9. "Of the 1,739 persons writ
ing," says Superintendent Riggs, 1894
received certificates and 2s7 near
the passing mark for the third grade
certificate may, upon request of county
Superintendent, be granted provisional
certificates should their services be re-
quired to fill the schools. The number
of absolute failures therefore was 55S.
OF these ISL were under Is years Of
age, A majority of those writing had
never held certificates, most of them
being young and many of them with
no training above that received in the
country schools. One hundred sixty
one were under IS years Of age; Col
were is at last birthday, and 365 were
19 at last birthday, that is to say, 1,179
were under 20 years of age, while $50
were 20 years or over"
The pardons committees held their
first general session together on Mon
day and considered the pardon appli-
cations of George Weems and Betsy
Smith, both of Polk county. These
have both been twice presented before.
TheyWeeniss case is a decidedly inter
esting one some good lawyers familiar
with the facts being convinced that
weems not only has served long
enough, but that he in fact should
never have been convicted of murder.
He was convicted of being one Of
Of Conductor Ridpath, fourteen years
ago. This year new feature was
added in that the widow Of the mur-
dered man. now the wife of an attor-
ney, appeared and joined in the appli-
cation for a full pardon for Weems
The aged father of Weens was present,
but he hurried back home, as his Wife
is illsand not expected 10 live. Weems
was convicted in time Of great ex-
element i'm Des Moines, because of
numerous other crimes committed
about the same time. In the case of
Betsy Smith the appeal came from the
venerable Isaac Brandt, who has al
ways felt that Mrs. Smith was wrongly
convicted. There is in fact some evil
dence to show that the wrong person
was convicted.
The visiting committee which re-
ported on the state normal school at
Cedar Falls made f1attering report.
The committee approved the plans
which have been made for the erection
of a building as library and museum
and also recommended an appropria-
ton for walks at the normal school.
The report in full was:
Your committee appointed to visit
the state normal school respectfully re-
port that all the members of the COM
mittee met at Cedar Falls on Ihufs-
day morning, January "a, and went I'M
mediate to the school. We first Wis
tied the auditorium where we found
practically the entire student and fac
ulty membership assembled for chapel
exercises. The deep seated earnest
ness, the evidence of purpose to OBJ
tain an education rather than to have
a lark OF time in spending the gov
errors" money, so apparent in the
faces Of the young people, was an in
SEPARATION to the members of the COM
mittee. A general air of studiousness
and decorum was everywhere manifest,
and the notion, now apparently some
what old fogeyish, that education is a
matter of education and discipline and
not a matter for purchase and inheri-
lance, seemed to prevail in the school.
The affection in which the president of
the school is held and the exalted life
he lives before and among the young
people are important elements in char
acter building.
I'VE found not only In the student
body these pleasing evidences of high
purpose and good work but there is
about the whole institution sort Of
general set or character, sort of
'spick and span fitness in the arrange
ment and proportions, the general
scheme of the buildings. grounds and
equipments. including cleanliness, sani-
tation. athletics, and calisthencs, that
at once strikes the eye and engrosses
the thought of the interested observer.
a superb plan for a great school
seems to have been conceived by some-
body and its accomplishment appears
to be nearing completion The present
millage allowed the school will doubt
less construct and equip the additional
buildings necessary to work out this
PLAN
Senator McManus Is enthusiastic for