The Baltimore County union, the Towson news., 1909-12-25
PREsENrs vs. HoLn-uPs.

The action of the School Board in directing
that pupils may not make presents to their
teachers is to be commended It is not object
ionable for a child, in its individual capacity.
to bestow some little token of regard upon
beloved instructor, provided the act is entirely
voluntary. but too often the presentation is the
result of class or school contribution. the
scheme being promoted by those who wish to
curry favor and carried to completion by many
children who, for fear of the displeasure of the
teacher or the ridicule of their schoolmates,
give unwiIlingly of what they can not afford
to spare. The system was doubtless innocent
and praiseworthy in its inception, but it had
become rapidly growing evil and its finish
was timely.
A similar evil is the giving of presents by
official subordinates to superiors. especially to
those superiors who have the appointive power.
Laws could and should be made to stop this,
for it smacks of corrupt practices just as much
as the purchase of votes or the giving of things
of value to influence votes. Many an under
paid clerk is ''maced'' at this season to con-
tribute toward the purchase of costly gifts for
his chief, when members of his family are
perhaps in need of necessaries. There is no
actual obligation on him to subscribe, and in
no instance, probably, would be lose his posi-
lion if be refused, but the practice is wrong
If the chief, being under no obligations to his
subordinates, sees fit to remember them with
presents the case is entirely different Even
in commercial establishments, which no law
could reach in this regard, the flow of gifts
should be always downward and never upward.
AN IMPosTER.
The announcement from Copenhagen will
put an end, it is to be hoped, to the unseemly
controversy over the discovery of the North
Pole. It's plain now that DR.. Cook is a daring
imposter. After all, the long hunt for the pole
was a case of much ado about"-not great
DEAL The scientific achievements involved
are not of much value to the world and upon
examination, the whole thing resolves itself
into an enormously difficult "stunt" that has
been the ambition of many fearless, adventur-
ous men during several centuries, some of
whom have lost their lives in the effort to
fasten their names to the top of the globe. 1t
is like the acrobatic feat of jumping from the
Brooklyn Bridge and endeavoring to reach dry
land again without serious injury, save that
the arctic feat involves vastly more intellect
Nevertheless, we admire the intrepid men
who have dared the difficulties of the far north,
and we applaud heartily the man who has
fl nalIy succeeded in reaching the Pole after
--eight separate attempts during some twenty
yeafs.~~
Dr. Cook s situation would be amusing were
it not so pathetic, and if he had not done so
much damage to the good name of America.
Instead of reaching the Pole he has gotten
himself in hole and so deep that only his
immediate family and friends know where he
is. 1t brings the blush Of shame to ones face
to realize that an American citizen has at
tempted to foist on the world so gross q fraud.
AN Iowa correspondent of The Union-News
states that some farm land in her section is
selling for $225 an acre and she predicts that
prices will go higher before spring. Although
the present is a time of extraordinary pros
perity for the farmer, it is hardly necessary to
say that. for ordinary farming purposes, no
land is worth such price. For trucking. gar
dening, or even fruit raising, this much and
far more may be paid for land that is peculiarly
situated or especially adapted for the purpose
but meat, milk or grain can not be profitably
produced upon land that costs more than 500
an acre. We fear some one stands to lose some
money in the Iowa boom.
THE CECIL COUNTY school board has elected
Miss Katharine Budd, successful teacher in
the Elkton schools. treasurer and county
superintendent of schools. She is the first
woman in Maryland to hold such position.