The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-23
SHE WANTS TO KNOW.
Confessions of an Unfederated Woman
as to Investigating Schools.

To the Editor of the State Journal:
Being somewhat of a stranger in the
city. and depending largely on the
newspapers for information. 1 confess
my ignorance of some things vital to
the general welfare. and I ask a few,
1 hope not impertinent, questions:
1 am the mother of six children. Ny
husband brought $4,000 to Topeka to
invest when we came up here to live.
I am a member of an unfederated
high school. In this city both my hus-
band and myself have the right to
vote. 1t seems proper then for me to
understand better than I do now some
of the questions of the day.
My club is unfederated and. while
I enjoy it extremely, I find its unfin-
ished business at each meeting is to
find fault with the City Federation.
do not know that the federation cares
or ever thinks about our club, nor am
I able to understand why We should
give it SO much time and criticism.
1t seems to be going straight ahead,
regardless OF what we may think, and
can't help wondering sometimes if
the joke isn't on US. after all.
But If you will permit me. I will
confess to my need for instruction
along federation lines in another let
ter.
Just now am interested in another
thing; namely, the educational COM
DQtIlG6 OF the commercial cIuO. COInC
very serious charges are being made
against the condition and government
of our schools. Such criticism must
sdo good think. If they are true it
can't help but be best to air the school
system and purify it. If they are I'M
true, the schools can not be hurt by
them. I'm ignorant, I know, but it
seems cowardly to try to cover up and
dodge these things.
But the queer thing and ludicrous
10 Ioo no od1 r
tee of the Commercial club tries to be-
come an investigating committee. The
chairman of this body is the primo CT
pal of one of the buildings The
superintendent of schools. the head
janitor of schools. and a man who is
running-they say. making the race of
his life to get on the board of educa-
ton again-all three are on this COM
mittee.
Now. Mr.. Newspaper, how can a
these other two men serve on COM
mittee to investigate themselves?
Is that regular and fair and good
common sense?
My two boys came home last Friday
and said that this principal. chairman
of this funny educational committee
of the Commercial club, self-ordained
to investigate himself and the system
he is a part Of had been in the high
school all day visiting. I am only an
un1eQefaIeQ woman, Out rise 10 ask +.
Do we pay taxes to keep up salaries
of principals, only to have them leave
their schools and neglect their bust
ness in order to investigate p them
selves and print in the daily papers
that they have examined their own
work and find it all good? The late
Mr.. Devlin Should have investigated
his bank after this rule of doing. If
this kind of thing continues, Topeka
will be a laughing stock among cities.
confess to the belief that the best
thing for the superintendent and prin-
cipals is to get down to business and
not make themselves ridiculous by this
struggle to keep people from know
ing what is going on.
My club. being unfederated, says if
the school authorities say everything
is all right, it is all right. And when
somebody asked the president if that
principle would hold good in city gov
eminent if the directors of a bank
say the bank is all right and investi-
gate themselves to prove it. But the
president said the club women had no
business to ask questions, and if we
learned to quote Browning it was as
much as we needed to know about
education.
Can you help me to understand
these things, since my club refuses to
consider them? If you can, I may
confess to some more ignorance in
other matters in a day or two.-An
TTpfadarafed Cluh Woman