The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-10-13
GOOD RECORD
FOR HONESDALE
Only II Children Aged a.
l6 at Work
HALF THE LABOR PERMITS FOR
CHILDREN LIVING IN TEXAS
TOWNSHIP,

| There are but twelve children in
Honesdale borough between the ages
of fourteen and sixteen who are at
work. That's quite remarkable
statistics, l think. l don't know of
any borough of it's size that can be-
gin to compare with that record"
Declaring that he had only issued
thirty-two labor certificates in all
since the law went into effect on
January 26, 1910, Prof. Harry A.
Oday, Phi. B., Supervising Principal
of the Honesdale Public schools
further said that half of the permits
he had granted were for children
living in Texas township.
When the reporter mounted the
steps of the $65,000 High school
building, Wednesday evening, at six
minutes of five o'clock, children
were still struggling out of the cor
ridors and skurrying home as fast
as their legs could carry them.
He wondered why they were so
had legitimate reason, and others
stayed because they were invited,
urged, yes requested to stay.
d" Why are you so late; kept in?''
the reporter asked husky lad of
twelve or thereabouts.
" No." he spoke up, "He wanted
to see u.s." Who the he" was the
reader is left to imagine. Maybe it
was the janitor!
The rest who tarried later than
usual remained as hereinbefore stat
ed for legitimate reasons. Wednes-
day is "class meeting day" at the
County Seat High school, and the
| elephant class of Umpty Fifteen,
| fifty-eight in number met and organ
| lied by electing these Freshman Of
ticers: President, Harrington Bur-
harut; vice-president, Miss Ada
Krantz; secretary, Miss Crescentia
| O'Connell; treasurer, G. Lighthiser.
1--WE haven't opened our gymnas-
ium as yet this year." said Prof.
Oday, save for the regular routine
gymnasium work in the lower
grades. There is not very much
gained in opening the gymnasium
early in Fall. These nice evenings
boys don't want to shut themselves
up in the building. They would
rather be outdoors. In view of the
tremendous long winters we have,
it's much better to leave these things
as long as you can. If you don't
open up until December /, you have
d SOOQ long winter them
When asked what feature of the
school work was being especially en-
phasized this year, he said:
% think just at the present time
we are laying more stress than ever
on promptness and accuracy. All
through the school we are making
a special point of those two things
Prof. Oday further remarked that
the process Of elimination in the
recitation contest for the High
school pupils of Hawley, Damascus
and Honesdale had gotten down
as far as the County Seat eligibles
was concerned, to these six schol-
ars: Mary Charlesworth, Pearl Cur
tbs, Vera Eberhardt, Helen Emo
Beatrice Mundy, Mildred Ward
From that list one will be selected
to take part in the triangular con-
test which will be held in Honesdale
on the Monday evening of County
Teachers Institute week.
In this connection Prof. Oday
spoke of a letter he had just re-
ceived from scholar in Blakely
Lackawanna county, who wanted to
know why it was " that we had three
first-class High schools in Wayne
| SOuhbJ, anu DldhCly uIun
Visitors are numerous at the
school building, not a day passing
that somebody does not come in
There are at present 173 pupils reg
| istered in the High school distribut-
ed as follows: Seniors, 3S; Juniors,
81; Sophomores, 40; Freshmen, So.
The reporter had one final ques-
ton, for the shades of night were
, falling fast, and the Professor look
ed hungry, and the newspaperman
felt hungry. He wanted to know
whether the public schools did not
tend to crush individuality instead
of developing it.
We try to deal with the individu-
al child" responded Prof. Oday.
I'VE know our people pretty we'll
Our borough is not so large but what
| know something of the home life
of every pupil in the school, and the
other teachers the same way, so that
we can deal with the case not in the
abstract but with that child as a
particular case"
AS the reporter hotelward trod
his weary way, these lines kept ring
ing in his ears
Backward, turn backward,