Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1909-02-19
SCHOOL CHILDREN
WIN PRIZES
Study of Postal Laws Encour-
aged by Postmaster Allen
Results in Contest

A new and interesting feature of
school work was inaugurated in the
Pullman public schools by K. P.
Allen, postmaster of Pullman re-
Gently Mr.. Allen appeared before the
grammar grades in the public schools
the postal laws. He explained at
length how mail is handled. the care
taken to prevent loss or delay in deli
vering mail and his address. through
out was full of interesting informa-
tion for the school children. After
he had finished speaking Mr.. Allen
distributed among the school children
several hundred phamplets giving q
synopsis of the postal laws and much
Information on the methods of hand
ling mali. These phamplets are fur
nished by the postal department for
the use of the patrons of post offices.
The children gave the closest atten-
tion to Mr.. Aliens address and SEEM
ed eager to get the pamphlets and to
learn more of the subject under discus
sion. To stimulate this interest Mr..
Allen offered four prizes of So. so each
for the best essays on subjects mention
ed in the pamphlets from each of four
grades selected by Superintendent
Ellis. Mr.. Ellis also offered a second
prize of 81 for the second best essay
from each of the four grades selected.
The children showed much interest
and enthusiasm in the matter and
more than so of them entered the con-
test and some excellent essays were
produced. The rules of the contest
were that the pupils should write the
article after studying the pamphlet
and the books should not be used for
reference while the composition was
being written. The essays were to be
graded on writing, spelling, compost
tion, grammar and the violence they
gave of study and understanding the
subject. The Eighth A grade was
given the registry system. The Eighth
B, classification of mail: the Seventh
grade was given the money .order sys-
TEN; and the Sixth B was given the
delivery and return of mail. The |
judges selected by Postmaster Allen |
and Superintendent Ellis were Thomas
Neill, John Melvin and j. E. Nessly.
The judges met in Mr.. Neills' office
Thursday night and studied the work
of the pupils, giving the awards as
follows: First prize in the Eighth A,
Thea Goserud; second. Ruth Suffer-
land; first in Eighth B, Ellen Keyes
second. Ruth Aten; first in the
Seventh grade, Meryl Chapman;
second, Orgie Priest; first in the Sixht
B grade, Mary Smith; second. Ruby
Wood. The essays were all numbered
and the judges did not know the auth
ors, but judged the work solely on its
merits In the Eighth A grade num-
Der of the best written, spelled, pune
tuated and arranged essays were thrown
out because the authors instead of
writing essays had merely copied the
postal laws, as shown in the little
pamphlet. and did not show the requir-
ed thought and understanding. These
were marked "good" by the judges,
but, under the rules of the contest,
were discarded. The judges spoke in
high terms of nearly all of the work
and predict that the contest will re-
suit in much good and better under
standing of the postal laws.
One of the essays contained some
excellent advice for all classes and for
business men especially. 1t said !:
Last year there were ID. l45, l72 first
class letters in addition to more than
million other packages sent to the
dead letter office. The postage paid on
the first class letters was 1862, 905. IA,
which was wasted because there was
no return card on the envelope. Had
these contained a return card there
would be no need for dead letter
Offices