The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-11-15
WOULD TURN ASSEMBLY
. ROOM into CLUB HOUSE
from Thursdays Daily.

Charles e. Keith, defeated candi-
date on the public ownership ticket
for state representative, appeared
before the school board at it's regu-
lar meeting last evening in behalf
of the Young Peoples Socialistic
club of this city and proposed that
the high school assembly room be
opened for the use of this club
during the winter when the club
has out of town speakers here. The
purpose of the club is to make a
study of the question of socialism.
The meetings will be free and pub
lie. Mr.. Keith also suggested that
the assembly room be used for the
meetings of the Anti-TuberculOsis
society and other societies for pub
lie education. There were some OBJ
jections to his plan. The meetings
would incur extra work for the al
ready overworked janitor and there
would be the expense of the light
and heat Mr.. Keith said that the
society which he represented would
be willing to pay Cor, the extra in
convenience and expense. On a
motion by W. B. Davies it was de-
property and expense committee.
A communication from the State
Educational association invited the
school board to send delegates to
their annual convention to be held
in Minneapolis in December The
association also asked as many
members of the board of education
as possible to be present.
Publication of Rules.
The committee appointed at the
last meeting to attend to the pub
LEGATION of new rule books for the
school board reported that this ex-
pense was so high that they had
decided to consult the other mem
bers of the board before taking any
definite action. They had received
bids on the work of printing the
booklets and the cheapest that they
received was $35 for 200 copies or
$45 for 500. 1t was decided that
the committee get the lowest posi-
Bile bid on one hundred copies, as
the board thought that this would
be enough to supply their wants,
and have the rule books printed.
DR.. Beach, treasurer of the board
been missing from his accounts had
been found. Owing to some mis-
take, the bank had deposited this
money to his personal account in
stead of to the credit of the board
of education.
Superintendent Sperry made the
, following report on the monthly at:
tendance of the several schools in
Mankato: High school, total mum.
Der enrolled, AL, belonging at
end of month 40, average daily
! attendance 400, percentage of attend,
ance 1896, number tardy 16. Pleas
ant Grove school, total enrolled
343, belonging at end of month 1913
average daily attendance 294, per
centage of attendance 96.49, number
| tardy 10. Union school, total mum
Der enrolled 239, belonging at end
OF month 222, average daily attend
ance 215, percentage of attendance
I school, total number enrolled 2S5
number belonging at end of month
| 271, average daily attendance 264
| percentage of attendance 97.6, mum
Der tardy 5. West Mankato school,
total number enrolled 155, belonging
at end of month ISL, average daily
attendance 142, percentage of at
| tendance 97301, number tardy 5
Grand total for all the schools, to-
| tai number enrolled 1,463, belonging
at end of month 1896, average daily
attendance 1921, percentage of at
! tendance 1922, number tardy Al
| The board accepted the report with
out comment.
Move For Better Penmanship.
! Superintendent Sperry notified the
I board that a movement for better
penmanship was being made in this
state and said that last year the
penmanship prizes were carried of
by Marshall and Faribault. This was
due largely to the new text books
on penmanship that are being put
out by the A. N, Palmer company
of Cedar Rapids. The company
gives instructions to the teachers
by correspondence on how to teach
the new method. The style used is
the regular Spencerian slant, bu1
the full muscular movement is in
| troduced at the very beginning o.
the course instead of at the end Of
the fourth grade as before. The
board decided to consider the mat
ter of adopting the new system, blu,
were favorably impressed with it
The text books cost only fifteer
cents and are good for six years
Superintendent Sperry also brought
up the question of new piano. He
said that the school had raised So:
last year to aid in the purchase o
a new instrument, but as the board
did not see fit to give more, the.
had used this amount to rent +;
piano, with an option of buying i
and the rental to be turned in OF
the purchase price if the piano wa
bought. By giving a social, Mis-
Pitcher, the instructor in music
has raised about SIS more this yea
and wishes this to be used in tn,
purchase of the piano. The boart
referred the matter to the propert,
and expense committee.
Dr. Beach asked the board VIII.
school had been closed on election
! day, and it was explained to hin
that this was legal holiday an,
that the teachers could not b.
forced to work on such day. Dl
| Beach thought that as few othe
: schools had closed this day that
was quite an expense to the dis
trict as it costs about $500 day t
: run all the Mankato schools.
5 Recorder E. F. Soaring told tn