The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-07
ARE IN EARNEST.
Plans for Mass Meeting Are Go.
ing Forward.
Will Voice Protest Against the
School System.
WOMEN SEEK REFORM.
Want High School Course of
Study Revised.
Mrs. Monroe, President of CITY
Federation, Talks.
WOMEN SEEK REFORM.

Inc women of the city are intensely
interested in the agitation for a re-
form IN the school system now in vogue
IN Iopeka. The announcement that a
mass meeting is to be held at the Audi
torlum in the very near future to dis
cuss this serious problem caused a
great amount of comment.
While the City Federation of Wo-
mems Clubs is not responsible for hav-
ing started the agitation, that organ
ization considers the matter something
of great Importance, and hence a meet
ing is being held at the Commercial
club this afternoon to pass on the
present system employed in our
schools.
Sunday afternoon one of the teachers
of the high school called up by phone
Mrs. Lee Monroe, president of the city
federation. She was filled with wrath
on account of the article which ap-
peared in the State Journal last week
which stated that the women of the
city do not approve of the system in use
in our public schools. She blamed Mrs.
Monroe and the federation for starting
| the agitation and spoke in no undecided
terms.
"She said to me-" srid Mrs. Monroe
you have no right to dictate as TO
what shall be done in the schools-no
"'Who are your 1 asked. Figure it
| out. You are nothing more than pub
lie servant. 1t is not for you to say
what my child shall study
| Il wasn't so warm on the matter un-
| til the teacher said that the women
have nothing to say on the question.
| "The language classes" continued
| Mrs. Monroe, knock out the arithmetic
| classes. Greek should not be in the
| high school.
Don't Know How to Study.
'.The president If one of the eastern
colleges for girls said that there were
| not many girls from Kansas in the
institution and she was glad as she
maintained that the Kansas girls do
| not know how to study.
TN tell you why this is true. 1t is
because the teachers do not supervise
the work of the pupils. They don't
have any idea as to how they should
run down their subjects. What about
the child whose mother has to bend
over the washboard all day. she would
i hardly feel like holding private school
at night to teach the child how to in
/ telHgently study the lesson.
'.It is fact that the pupils don't
i know how to study-they have their
recitations and then they do their
studying at smoke house.
| Prof. WhittemOre admitted that If
the whole system were to be abolished
a new one could be built up which
| would be much more practical.
The school takes children to make
i citizens of chem. When they get
through are they good citizens?
+ Weak in the Rudimenfs.
| More time ought to be spent on
reading literature. Many of the high
school students have come to the office
looking for employment and they have
lad no vocab llary. They are short on
English, spelling, writing and arithme-
tic
LAS things row are at the high
school the whole family has to get UP
in the morning and get the children
eff to school. At noon the entire fam
lily should be together for luncheon, but
the parents have had their meal
THE father of a family ought to have
the privilege seeing his children at
meal time. don't see how the pupils
stand up under the strain of having to
hurry off to school in the morning
without having sufficient time to take
: in eating their breakfasts"
: That Mass Meeting.
AS soon as the speakers have been
secured the date of the mass meeting
at the Auditorium will be announced.
Negotiations are being made with the
| University of Chicago authorities with
| a view of securing a speaker we'll quail
| ified to give outline of what an
ideal school system should be.
| Yesterday one of the prominent wo-
men of the town asked three represen-
tative boys if they had studied Civics
| and all three of them looked at her
with wonderment-they did not know
1 what she meant by the word. One OF
| these fellows was a high schoo1s grad
uate, another a senior. and the third
a junior in the school,. One of the
/ points which the women are making is
public schools.