The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-09-22
Totals
.S1.22o4.O6
Starts With Rush.

Monday was the first depository day
this school year and in practically all
of the city schools the principals spent
part of the afternoon in making out
accounts and in sending the pennies.
and other small change to the State
| Savings bank for deposit. The savings
for the first day was considerably over
500 and was credited to hundreds of
Topeka children.
The new banking idea is an excel
lent one and one that is eagerly taken
up by children all over the city and
every year the system is attracting
more interest and instructing more
children.
Take for instance the Sumner
school at Fourth and Western avenue.
This school made the best record for
the past year and their deposits far ex-
ceeded those made by other schools.
The secret of the whole matter is the
incessant and businesslike drilling
that the pupils receive at the hands of
the teachers and the principal, Mr..
George H. Mays. Mr.. Mays is con-
tinually organizing the pupils into So
cieties, clubs and the like to give them
the training for public service. The
school is divided into literary societies
and every term the election of officers
occurs. This election Is carried out
like a regular election and campaign
ing and lobbying is prevalent for days
before the election takes place. Every
day one of these literary societies con-
do it with excellency and order.
School Bank Fails.
In taking up the new banking sys-
tenn Mr.. Mays organized the school
| into a regular bank with its president,
| unlimited number of vice presidents,
| secretary and board of directors that
| comprised every interested boy in the
school. When the pupils began to
realize that the depositing of their
money was in their own hands they
| took an active interest and the PEN
| MES and nickels came flowing in. At
| first the money was left wholly in the
| hands of the children but it was not
| long before mistakes began to creep
| in, the board of directors could not
| account for alleged deposits, the presi-
dent was accused of embezZling the
| funds the vice presidents all claimed
| the office of president, the secretary
| said that his figures were correct and
| dared anybody to come out behind the
| school house and say he was wrong,
every pupil had a different total after
many additions and it looked for few
days as if a scandal was about to
develop right behind the bank coun-
| ters. However, the principal and
| teachers came to the rescue and in a
| ened out and the bank was on its feet
again and had escaped from a dis
graceful failure.
In truth the teachers had been
time and they tested the business
ability of the pupils. At the present
| time the bank is organized as it was
| before the failure. but the officers have
| received a subtraction from their
power and they simply recite their
| figures and accounts to the principal,
who pats them on the head If they
are right and sends them to their desk
to try 1t again If they are wrong.
Each teacher keeps an account of
| her pupils who make deposits and the
principal keeps account of each teach
ers' general account. Every Monday
morning tn eteacher dispatches a spe-
| cial commissioner to the principals
office. In this room the principal sits
| behind his bars and the pupils file
up to the window and count their
money in regular professional style
finger the coins from a large pile.
They then report the amount to the
| principal, who checks their figures up
with those of the teacher. The slip
| is o. KID and the messenger tiptoes
to his room with a grin on his face
from ear to ear. It's a proud pupil
who makes his adding coincide with
| his teachers.
When a student has deposited the
mammoth sum of one dollar he is
given a written check on the State
| Savings bank and when it is present
ed at this institution he is given a
real sure enough bank book in which
is his name and one dollar-in ink.
| When he has succeeded in making an
other dollar last him until Monday he
J is again given the honor of having his
bank book written in by the big man
behind them brass rods at the bank
OF course. in the regular school bank
at the schools each child has a bank
/ book, but it is simply to check up
his local account and is not used at
/ the city bank. Every Monday after
noon when the money is collected the
| principals send messengers with bicy-
cles down to the city bany and the
money is turned over in this way.
More in Lower Grades.
1t is noticeable fact that much
| more money is deposited from the
| lower grades than from the higher
| The smaller children are not ashamed
to bring their pennies. and bringing