The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-01-07

|
and La Rue Royce, members of the
Kappa Alpha Pi fraternity. from the
| high school until next fall, and the
newspaper news and comment since
Monday evening has caused the people
| of Topeka to become intensely inter-
ested in the question y great many
of the citizens of the city in al walks
| of life have expressed the BELIEF that
| the punishment dealt out to the four
boys was too harsh. although they do
not for a moment uphold the MEM
bers of the secret organizations when
it comes to the breaking of the state
| law and the rulings of the board They
do believe, however, all of the stu
dents connected in any way with these
societies, even if there are as many
as a hundred of them, should be
! brought to time and that another Of
Tense of the same nature in the flu
ture should be dealt with with ex-
| IRENE severity.
"I believe that the board acted too
| hastily" was the comment of Josiah
| Jordan, a member of the board, to-
| day. IT believe that the superintendent
and principal knew the conditions bet
ter than did the board and that their
recommendations should have been
| followed"
Geo. H. Smith, generally known as
Dad Smith," was as strongly OPP
| posed as he was on Monday evening
to the action taken by the board. He
said: "I believe that the 'frats' should
be broken up. but I do not believe
that two or three boys should be sin
gled out from the whole school. I do
| not believe that the punishment should
| have been so severe, but punishment
of some kind should be given. Let's
make it general thing and not pun
lsh just few. I don't think that
| any one of our skirts are clean when
we have broken the law
| Il still hold that the boys should
be kept on the gridiron for awhile,
and when they have apologized and
| their parents have said that they will
see that they remain out Of all or
| CARNATIONS, the students should be
permitted to come back to our school.
1t is my opinion that there are not
Two per cent of the parents who take
| the trouble to investigate the stand
ing of their sons and daughters in the
high school. If they did there would
be less trouble"
II stand just as I stood at the
board meeting" was the statement of
5. A. Swendson today, land the State
journal reported me correctly. When
the boys have made the proper apol-
ogy. send them back" He believes
that they should be reinstated by the
beginning of the second term.
A. b. Poole considers that the law
should be upheld. but he is ''for the
boys" that is, he is not inclined to
1avor severe punishment, although his
vote on Monday evening was in favor
OF the suspension until September.
Fhe girls are just as bad as the
: eoys. sald Mrs. c. J. Evans. who
favors leniency.
Norton Is Severe.
Sheriff ]. D. Norton, member OF
the school board, said today:
nave heard nothing new con-
corning the investigation being con.
eueted by Superintendent Whittemore
ana the teachers, since the meeting
OF the school board. l want to say
mat no victims will be singled out in
TINS investigation, but that all the
vloiators of the state law on the sub
Ject and the rules of the school board
Min pc eventually caught, and han
: handled. Those boys were not
. singled out for punishment; they
were the only ones caught in the
NloIatlon at the time of the board
meeting when they were expelled. In
; the event of other pupils beinE
caught, special meeting of the
school board will probably be called
TO attend to their cases.
, r. ID. Anderson, a member of the
p Poard is deeply grieved because the
BOARD mas been criticised. He is one
of the most unbending advocates Of
/ severe punishment
The attitude of State Superinten-
dent 2. T. Fairchild is well known IL
. lOSdIu 70 suspension from school. He
mas iectured on the subject and ia.
vors other methods of punishment
he does not believe in expulsion,
None VIII Go Back.
1t IS quite probable hat none of ths
tour suspended boys will ever gt
back to Topeka High school, and the
danger always is with long suspen
sions that the youths will become 81
absorbed with some line of work tina
they take up while they are waiting
10 return to their studies that the!
become tempted to discontinue theil
education altogether.
Frank McKitrick last summer
thought somewhat of going to a Mis-
souri, school, and it is not probabI,
that he will return to the local school
IT is understood that there is a nos
. sibility of the Hamilton family NOV
ing to Kansas City. La Rue Royc,
IS attending K U. and Lloyd Sawyer
may go to some preparatory schoo
next fall The boys all belong to goot
families
1t looks to us as though they ar,
not going to do anything to ANYONE
else" was the statement OF one of tn