The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-01-25
BARS LET DOWN.
High School Pupils Are Rein.
stated by the Board.
Great Secrecy Is Observed by
the Members.
STAR CHAMBER ACTION
Shrank From Rectifying Mis-
take in Public.
E. H. Anderson UneomprOmis-
ing to the Last.

The Topeka school board held an ex-
ecutive session last night. President
Norton said several days ago that no
meeting would DE held until February
7 but for some reason a change was
newspapers should not be notified of
the change.
The school board is elected by the
people. The sessions of that august
body are supposed to be open to the
public. There is no reason they should
not be. The public has a right 20 know
what the school board is doing in its
official capacity and the public does not
approve of star chamber proceedings.
The strong glare of the sunlight of
ficer and this applies forcibly to the
members of the school board even if
they serve for glory and the welfare
of the community.
The fact is that the school board
made a bad mess of this fraternity
lied it. They wanted to rectify their
blunder and apparently shrank from
taking the public into their confidence.
. hey are entitled to credit for their ac-
ton even If 1t was done in the dark.
There was a conference of the
members of the board last night pre-
ceding the official meeting and at this
conference" the fraternity business
vas threshed out. There were two I'M
compromising memberS-E. H. Ander-
son of the Third ward and C. +. Hardy
of the Fifth. They insisted that the
board stand by its guns and keep all
fraternity and sorority members out of
school till next fall.
Several other members called atten-
ton to the fact that there were many
members of fraternal organizations who
were not on the list furnished by the
principal and superintendent ard that
, they were the most culpable of all be-
cause they had lied when Intercepted
/ by the officers of the school with refer
| enee to their membership while those
whose names were reported were those
| who had admitted their connection and
| had made every reparation In their
| rower including a withdrawal from the
organizations. The contrite are pun
| ished while the unrepentant escape.
This apparently unanswerable argu-
| inert had no effect upon Anderson and
| Hardy. They We're obiurate but in the
raeeting OF the board when Anderson
| offered a resolution to keep the children
who are known to have been members
| of fraternities and sororities out OF
school until next fall it had but two
| votes-that of Mr.. Anderson and Mr..
Hardy. Later Mr.. Hardy voted to re-
| ipstate the children and Anderson stood
| out alone in opposition.
| 1t is only just to Superintendent
| Whittemore and Principal Stout to say
| that the action of the board last night
is in accordance with the recommends
| ton of the superintendent. The school
| officers themselves never favored such
| extreme measures as were first adopted
/ by the board.
This is then the end of the fraternity
| sorority row in the high school, The
| organizations have disbanded, the MEM
| berS-tlOS0 who are knOWn-hdVe with
drawn and apotogized and every one
should be satisfied.
The Official Report.
Superintendent: Whittemore has given
cut a report of last nights star cham
Der session and it IS given in full here
with:
Following an informal conference
which was held at 5 o'clock yester-
| day (Monday) afternoon the board
| of education met in special session to
consider the report of the superinten-
dent of schools with reference to fra
ternities and sororities in the high
school.
1.-The superintendent reported that
| he had temporarily suspended Merle
Agard and Ernest Mold, who had been
found to be members of the frater-
nifty known at the Kappa Alpha Pi,
/ the same organization to which the
| four boys belonged whose case had
been acted on by the board at the
| last regular meeting.
1.-The superintendent also reported
| that number of high school pupils
| had belonged to fraternities and sor-
critics before the enactment of the
state law prohibiting high school pu-
| pills from belonging to such organiza-
| tons. These are as follows: Ivan
| Dibble, Marshall Hite. Nelson Meade.