Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-09-09
The Army That Is Moving to
School Houses


The first Monday in September is
the usual day for opening the punnc
schools in Georgia; maybe II is he
same in othe states, and L nave pesh
| thinking of what that means TO tens
of thousands of boys and girls all over
this broad land of ours.
While much depends upon the teacher
much more depends on the pupil as 70
| the good or evil things which this com
| ing school year will bring to them.
Much depends upon the associates OF 1hS
children who become intimates at school
= who will be boon or bosom companions
until the first of next June
remember very well when 1 was
( 10 or IL years old that 1 had a NOISY
gossippy, idle desk-mate, and pre-
| sume I told enough about her when at
home to put my careful. watcnlIi iiU -
, err on the qui vive. Perhaps nao
/ enough faults of my own to make TINS
| association distasteful to my parent.
! Anyhow 1 was required and comInanueu
to ask my teacher to give me another
seat.
AS the school was brimful he told me
there was no vacant seat to offer me
So 1 reported at home and then hao
q new requirement to fill for / was Oh
| ractod m ask the teacher to allow me
| tn sit in a chair near his own rostrum'
and To further say that my mother was
| convinced that 1 would do but little
| oood unless 7 was separted from my
! deslx-mate There was no putting OH; L
had to toe the mark and feel sure tha'
/ T was like a raw soldier going INTO pat
/ tie. facing a cannon fire, because ron
| the risk of hurting my desk-mate Ieel-
ings, and would be forceo 10 eApI"il
| the vbv and wherefore, and theh L
would he completely under the teach r 8
| aye that 7 would not undertake 10 pltch
| naner wads across desks, or Illllp ehlll
| 1uanins at some student more ulhgehI
| than myself. o+har,s
| When I made known my moIneI
wishes as to the chair 1 had 10 IAN
| NV teacher into my confidence ana ten
L. Ia tbera was too much talk and too
little study and 1 must have the ciiAAi
4 or do worse. -. -.
| This looks like a very small story as
m quantity or quality, but 1t mace
lasting impression on me, ana l peg uii
| 70 see that 1t was best to meet dl1Ilcul-
! ties straightway, and not shrink ABOUT,
and to do things always as authorized. l
| never had a more serVlceaole s0H0ot
term than I enjoyed, literally sitting at
INV mothers feet, and ! now understand
nv nnother's care and decision in this
matter. which at the time, was so pain
| ful and embarrassing to me, and full OF
DEMONSTRATION and explanations as L
| imagined. -.
| NV wise mother determined to put
check on my intimacy with girl she
| did not approve, and she made me shoul-
der my part of the burden and race the
| music.
| plead with her, stating that my desk
| mate would be mad at me-" but she
| made IT plain that was going to schooi
| TO learn lessons and not vitality concern
| ed as to who was pleased or otherwise.
/ Now that I am old and discover the
| unsuitability of some school associates
when their conversation and folly are
detailed by other children at home,
| wish there was a way to change seats
and also sit at the good teachers feet;
| as happened to me in the long ago.
| am frank to say that promiscous al
/ liances and doubtful friendships are Of
| ten begun in the general herding of chill
| dren in q great public school room,
where the teacher has no opportunity to
overcome the forming of unhappy asso-
| Citations and less of time to make chang
l es in deskmates. I have heard OF vulgar
| school girls who employed such oppor-
tunities to talk of various things to
| younger girls, which should have never
| reached innocent minds in such dubf-
/ Gus way. l have heard of crude draw
/ ings, that represented unmentionable
| things, which girls in well-conducted
. homes would never De WilllHS
| folks to see, or hear about.
| The young child's mind is like wax,
to be impressed, and like marble to be
erased When a vulgarism is implant-
! ed, it will not be forgotten.
| While this great army Of children is
moving towards the school house, they
are going to meet many things that are
! not set down in text books, and the bulk
| of humankind get their real education
by observation and not by recitations.
| The school house is world in itself
to the little folks, so lately tied to moth
. er's apron string. Their little minds are
i open and awake to anything that hap
! pens along. They pattern after some
! other child in many ways, and unfortu-
nately they often pattern in sorry and
maybe evil ways 1t seems a pity that
/ any tender little soul should be so early
! disillusioned by contact with toughs who
| have had no raising at all. and in these
crowded public school rooms the teacher
must insist on correct lessons. whatever
/ else they cannot control or arrange for,
! in these daily assemblages.
| 1 sit in my chair and watch the hur-
| rying crowds as they pass my corner,
and the thought often comes to me that
! the first seven years OF a childs life
molds it's future forever.
= This is one reason the Roman Catho-
! lie church is so careful with little chill
/ dren. These papal teachers understand
that youthful impressions are always
the most lasting.
This article Is also a reminder 70
mothers to, win her child's confidence
F., and get on the inside of what is talked
! about at playtime, and on the way to
school.