Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-12-27
MISS LOU HARRIS
PLANS TO VISIT
RURAL SCHOOLS
County Superintendent Will
Start New Year by Making
Tour of Inspection.
GIVE PRIZES FOR ESSAYS
Announcement from Washington, D
c., States That Gold Medals
Will Be Awarded


" superintendent OF schools. will star
the first of the coming year on a tou
of inspection of the country schools
She will visit each school i
turn suggesting improvements, and az
dressing the pupils on various subject
of interest. During her absence fror
the Rock Island office in the cour
house. Miss Anna Steitz, stenographe
and assistant, will have charge.
Will Award Prizes.
According to an official announce
ment received from the United State
department of agriculture at Washing
ton. ID. c, liberal prizes are to b
awarded the pupils for essays on tn
good roads subject. The statemen
follows:
The director of the Office of publi
roads of this department. Logan Wal
Ter Page. has announced that the TIM
in which children may submit essay!
on the repair and maintenance of eartl
roads, in competition for the gold med
al and the two silver medals, has beer
extended to March >, 1914.
The conditions for the essay contes
are as follows:
l. The subject of the essay will
be the Repair and Keeping Up OF
Earth Roads.
>. II is open 10 children from
10 to Is years, inclusive. who are
actually living on farms and who
are actually attending some
school.
3. The essay should not be
more than 500 words in length, in
the handwriting of the child, and
should be written on only one side
of the paper.
1. In the upper lefthand corner
of the first page should appear
the following statement: Essay
o Earth Roads by Cname of
child: age of child: actual resi-
dence of child; school attended by
child)
;. Children wishing to enter
this contest may ask the adj
VIC of their parents, teachers,
neighbors, highway commission
ers, and other people, and read
books or magazines giving infor-
must rot give the information they
gain in this way in the exact
words OF an adult or the author of
a book. They must express the
ideas in their own language. They
will not be expected to use tech
nical terms and any words that
make the meaning clear viii be ac-
ceptable.
8 The essays will be rated by
an impartial committee according
TO the penmanship, English, and
spelling. The writer of the best
essay will receive gold medal;
the writer of the next lest essay,
a silver medal; and the writer of
ia third best essay, a silver med
al.
:. All essays should be plainly
addressed, in an envelope stamped
with two-cent stamp, to: Com
mittee on Children's Road Essay
Contest, Office of Public Roads,
L. s. Department of Agriculture,
Washington, -. G.. and should be
mailed to reach that Office not
later than 8 a. m. Monday, March
.. 1914.
"A a help to children. the sugges-
ons given below are made. Children
eed not follow these suggestions alb
DiuteIy They must not submit es-
avs in the form of direct answers to
lese questions. They must not quote
ny of the following material word
)r word.
Aouy ~ Toll Gcod Roads
To the chiIdr n: In getting facts
, write your essay for the prize con-
st on the repair ard maintenance of
arth roads, use your eyes. Look at a
ld piece of road and a good piece
road when both are dry. Study, par
cularly, the Tuts and holes and un- !
ven places in the road to see whether /
ley make it easier or harder for the /
heels of loaded wagon to go along. T.
tudy the kind of footing that the two !
,ads give to the horses.
Now. study the same stretches of /
Dad after a good rainstorm. You will /
se that one road holds small puddles, /
r pools of water that keep the road
,ft end so allow it to be cut up by
le wheels of the wagons and the .
)ofs of the horses. How do road .
Iilders keep water from gathering /
a the travelled way of the road? .
louid the road slope TO the side .
tches? How much higher should the
enter. or crown. OF the road be than .
.c outside edge of the road? Why do
Jv,i bitches az the side of the road
clip make the center of the road bet
r for hauling? What happens when
tches get full OF rubbish or weeds? {
hen ditch along a road holds water
collects IL into pools. how does this
jure the road
Use of the Drag.
Have you ever seen a homemade
ad drag? Il is made By splitting in
% a log six or eight inches in thick
.ss and about six or eight feet long
ne two halves of the log are set three
ct apart with their smooth faces for 4,
ard and upright They are fastened 4
gether with braces \ pair OF horses a
e hitched TO a chain faEtened to the
ont half OF the log Should these ,
Es be drawn straight down the road.
IL ha ,