The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-05-14
Writing School Essays.

"
At about this time of year the girls
and boys of our high schools begin to
rack their brains for subject for an
essay. 1t will worry them for several
weeks, they will poster their parents
about it until finally the flight of time
toward the day on which all essays are
to be handed in compels a resort to
"The Destiny of Man," or 1.-THE Sphere
of Woman and again stale jokes about
school day essays will have been vindi-
Gated.
All this worry and fretting over the
selection of one subject to write about
and the preparation Of 1000 to 1900
words, which would fill only one column
to column and half Of newspaper
space, looks ridiculous to the news
paper man who must select from twelve
to twenty subjects every day about
which to write from 100 to 200 words
each in his short paragraphs, besides
three to half a dozen subjects upon
! which he prepares 1000 to 5000 words
of text, and finds time to discuss mat
tiers from thirty minutes to an hour
each with a dozen callers who visit the
Office during the day. To the man who
prepares 1000 words of original essay
every working day, this worry over a
school essay looks like wasted energy,
and yet that newspaper man can look
back only few years to his own school
days, to the same worry and fretting
over the school essay.
1t has often seemed since that the
trouble was that the youth became OPP
pressed with the seriousness and diff
culties of task which could have been
vastly easier had there been more
naturalness in meeting it. The main
trouble seems to have been in the de-
sire to select subject unknown, mys-
tical, abstract, and of course very diff
cult. II the captain of the ball team
could have started on "Great Men and
Their Sports" he would have become so
absorbed in the reading of his subject
that his interest would fairly glow in
his writing. He would read from pleas
ure, learn more history and philosophy
of life than some college courses give a
student. Essay writing would become
fun for him.
If some young woman would forget
''The Sphere of Woman" or "Women as
Rulers of Nations and write about
1.-The Feeding of Men, sho would find
that she had opened mine of most in
tensely interesting information as she
followed the primitive foods of early
man down through the various races of
vegetarians, fish eaters, flesh eaters, to
the modern breakfast foods and package
groceries. History, dietics, evolution
and social economics would all come
under her observation as she read upon
her subject. What could be more inter
esting than "The lamentations for Chick
enpoN" to the young woman who would
trace the slow progress which medical
science has made in mastering common
diseases and the crazy ideas of the past:
And so it would be with any practi.
cal, common place subject. Any bright
boy could prepare almost a romance
upon "Flour- Through All the Ages,
and when he had finished he would have
gained a fair conception of the problem
of existence which man has had to meet
since the dawn of creation. 'Origi1
and Use of Coffee as Beverage woulc
send him coursing through the page.
of history and to travelling over planta
!, tions of strange and remote lands, unit
he would have taken a trip around tn
world in his reading. "Roads -Ancien
and Modern ought to absorb the at
tention of any kid who rides a bicych
or whose father owns an automobile
Roman roads, African roads, Persian
roads, French, German, English an,
New England toll roads would all tlas
! before him in research, and when b
came to write he would have become S
: interested that he would give real lif
. to his composition.
$ And why wouldn't some young mus
! clan Of the high school take real il
terest in an essay upon 1.-THE Music {
5 Many Races" or "The Musicians of tn
; Ancients?' How many girls or wome
/ ever traced the Evolution Of Hats {
know anything about 1.-THE Hats of TIE
5 Centuries?" Let some motherly youn
5 girl write to the various public char
u ties and read the publications of soci:
. science literature and discuss "The CT
u of the Child" giving us a picture
% home environments in the crowded di
III tricts of our cities.
u Then there is the bankers son. L.
le him tell lis when money Loaning w;
l. Disgrace" He can go back to Il
Is days before the discovery Of the digni
~ of capital. Let the son of the clothi1
u merchant answer the question "Wl
- Are the Greatest Merchandise" and if
~ does his work we'll he will get lastin
o. .. liberal education upon the manners al
~ customs Of all nations. The lawyer
le son should discuss ''The Rise of Law
- and get an understanding in his I
= search of the fundamental reasons
the existence of law among men. "Ss
the Friend of Man." would make
most interesting, scientific, historic
and commercial thesis. 1.-The Pota
is s. and Its Origin might attract the ;
es. tention of some rising Burbank, and gi
The him the inspiration to future greatne
his Any farm boy could entertain his g
af dience and instruct himself if he wor
be tell us of the "Origin of the Horse" a
s a.- give us description of the process
Ing selection which has developed domes
Gated animals into distinct breeds
.e Oh various useful purposes.
Essays upon subjects of this XII
}. would contain a live interest to
young folks. Each writer wot
gather fund of information viii
nix would remain with him throughout
ey life. The essay experience wo1