The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-07-20
FROM OTHER PENS
THE oLD-FAsH1oNED PEA.

There is one thing certain and that
is, the pea has backslidden. 1t was a
grand vegetable 80 or 40 years ago,
possessing a flavor as delicate and
sweet as the fragrance of a rose.
The new-fangled pea-the Telephone.
Marrow Fat and other sorts that have
come later-are poor substitutes for
the old-fashioned pea. and it is sad
reflection upon the public taste that
they are tolerated.
The pea we have nowadays seem to
have taken on a new nature. They
are bigger, fatter, clumsier, coarser,
thicker-skinned and raw-tasting than
the graceful. delicate, f1ne-grained
and heavenly scented pea of the
youthful days. The pea of the olden
time was the best thing that came on
the table. The old association of lamb
and peas was intended to be a COM
pliment to the lamb, and yet. spring
lamb was supposed to be the ne plus
ultra of all meats; but 1t was the
peas that made the lamb taste good.
But think of the pea Of nowaday go
ing with spring lamb-why they are
better suited to corned beef and liver.
There are some things that 1t is al
most sacrilege to try to make bet
ter, and one of these is the old-fash-
toned pea. 1t was perfect when it
was born into the world, and its life
was blessing until the old vegetable
lCOHOCldStS SOl IL INTO tuSlI HcdQS 10
give it more body and skin. There it
is. burdening the market benches.
pushing aside excellence and pulling
down the public desire for things that
have lost their virtue.-Ohio State
Journal.
SIXTY YEARS OF THE THREE RS
There has been found in safe in
Springfield. Mass, a bunch of exam
ination papers used in the public
schools just so years ago in which
reading, writing, arithmetic and geo.
graphy were tests in one Of the grades.
Fortunately. all the papers were in
the same collection. 1t occurred to
the principal of the schools of that
city to offer the same questions at an
examination in similar grades Of pu-
pills of today for purposes of compari-
son. AS a result the children today
have made better records than those
of 60 years ago. although in some re-
spects the advance Is not overpower-
ing.
The inference is that children are
better grounded in the elements of
knowledge than were their forebears,
and it is claimed that this is all the
more impressive because in this day
many of the schoolchildren are either
foreign born or of parents who were
born abroad, while the older children
were almost wholly of good old
American stock. 1t may be said that
while the advance is notable II is not
particularly impressive, because of the
fact that in these days children go to
school earlier, have longer terms and
are in smaller or better defined
classes.
But If it is intended to show that
we are much better than our fathers
the incident is not convincing enough.
1t is shown that our children are still
deficient in the matter of spelling
and the simplest arithmetic and geo.
graphy. We ought to be ashamed of
existing conditions rather than be
proud of the slight advance in so
years. We shall never achieve any
thing like the desired results until we
cease to put 40 children under the
care Of teacher, and especially Of a
young woman whose mind is so
strongly set upon getting a trousseau.
We must make the business of teach
ing more important. pay it better and
see that our children learn things alb
solutely rather than on a 20 per cent
basis of perfection.-Philade In
Quirer.