Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-11-04
PEOPLES PULPIT

Editor ottumwa Courier

Editor Ottumwa Courier
Dear Sir:
In your issue of Oct IS, I noticed an
article where a justice of the peace
had fined man five dollars for not
sending his child to school. He should
have made the fine 500 and If such
fine is out OF his jurisdiction then
there should be law enacted to that
effect. Why? Simply for this reason
A child may be sent to school and
make the best of each and every min
ute and still he does not get just what
he ought to have. Why? Because the
law governing the schools is O. very
poor one; as poor one as I ever heard
| Of A child learns very little while in
school because he isn't required to go
to school until o'clock in the morn
! ing. He remains there about an hour
and ten minutes and then has a few,
possibly fifteen minutes recess, goes
\ back in school and remains until 1880.
| That really gives him about two hours
and fifteen minutes in school in tho
forenoon. Now outside of exercise what
can a child learn in that length Of
| school at $50 and remain until about
1880. Then another recess for about
| fifteen minutes comes. AT 2:45 they
again enter school and remain until
3:45 and their studies are over for the
| day. Now, subtracting their recesses
from the morning and afternoon that
leaves them four hours and fifteen
minutes a day for school, Now what
can child learn in that time? 1t
just gives them the greater portion Of
the day to run the streets and learn
meanness when they could just as well
be In school and keeping out of mis-
chief and fitting themselves for high
er positions in life. The way it is a
child is rushed through school no rapid
that he is not at all qualified to go
through so swift and when he passes
the eighth grade he don't know any
thing. / have come in contact with a
score of boys In they city that really
don't know their multiplication tables
cannot spell proper and know but lit
tie about the dictionary, and grammar
Is not known at all. They say them
selves that the teachers in charge rush
them through too fast, besides, they
only have four hours and fifteen min
utes day and in that time they have
exercise, vocal exercise and SO many
books that they can give no certain
book any reasonable time for study. 1t
seems 3, to me as though the parents Of
the children enjoy seeing their little
ones rushed through school. 1t APP
pears to them that it is credit to
have their little ones graduate from
the eighth grade. 1t would be, pro-
yiding the child was qualified really and
truly, but at that age children are just
beginning their prime of school days.
If child stops school at that age he
soon forgets what little he did learn
in school, because his brain was too
young for the impression to be sub
stantially made unless he continues his
school days.
II, myself was compelled by circum-
stances to leave school when studying
the old McGuffey's Third Reader and
| will say that at that time I knew as
much as the children of this city do
now when they graduate from the
eighth grade. / went to school at s
o'clock in the morning and remained
until IL except fifteen minutes for re-
cess. Then returned at 1 O'Clock in the
afternoon and remained until 80
making in all, taking out for recess,
seven hours, and I can say ] did not
have much time to run the streets.
am greatly opposed to such school
law as they have in this city. In one
respect they have an over surplus of
teachers. These draw fair salary, as
much and more than the average
mechanic at our factories who put in
from nine to ten hours a day Of hard
labor for six days in the week, while
the teachers Of the schools put in four
hours and fifteen minutes day for
say four days week and on the fifth
dap and let the children out at about
8 o'clock. Now / for one think the
school board ought to give the children
more hours In school and less hours on
the streets. Also they should not re-
quire child In the lower grades to
study SO many different ;tudies. If
they would try this they would see bet
ter educated young men and women,
and less DRINKS and outlaws before
the courts of justice. say let the par
ents of children who do not send their
children to school without just cause
be fined heavil-- or Imprisoned j would
like to hear from others, who pay
scholo taxes, on the subject. We
should get together and elect a school
board who will be interested in more
hours for school.
Harry A. Kendall, Ottumwa, Ia.
D. a.