The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-12-11
EDUCATIONAL COLUMN.
BY Mabel Horner, County Supt.

During the week that the Farm
ers' Institute will be in session at
Leon, and the Short Course at La
moni, twelve Iowa boys, acompan-
led by Mr.. E. c. Bishop, of Iowa
State College, will be enjoying a
trip to Washington and visit to
congress These boys, one from
each congressional district, and one
from the state at large, enjoying
these advantages as the winners
from their respective districts in the
corn acre contest. We have before
us as We write copy of the Hear
ingS before the Committee on Agrl-
culture, House of Representatives
on Iowa Boys and Girls Clubs, Feb
ruary 3, 1911 Lester Finch, OF
Buchanan county, is reported as the
winner of sweepstakes for that year.
His yield was 1857 bushels at a
cost of II cents per bushel. Gus
Mead, from Fremont county, repre-
sented the Eighth Congressional
district. he raised $3.50 bushels at
the cost of 1SA cents per bushel.
Decatur county has never yet been
fairly and adequately represented in
these corn acre contests, owing to
the fact that the boys have not re-
ceived the help and encouragement
that comes through the corn acre
club, we'll organized and we'll con-
Quoted
Last spring we tried to arouse an
interest in the Boys and Girls Club
movement through the columns of
the county papers, but only two boys
Joined the corn acre club, one boy
the poultry club, one girl the cooking
club, and two girls the sewing club.
These boys and girls were in widely
separated localities and have had to
work alone We hope that through
the securing of local organization
and efficient leadership, the coming
year, they may have the pleasure
and the stimulus that comes through
working in immediate association
with other young people.
We have said before in these col
umns, that what our schools need
above all else is the sympathetic,
helpful, cooperation of parents and
teachers. This is especially true in
regard to the Boys and Girls Club
movement. 1t can not succeed unless
the home and school are both behind
1t. Teachers may arouse the inter-
est of the boys and girls and effect
the organization of clubs, but the
home must generally supply the
leadership, and must sustain the in
terest and the effort through the
long summer season. Miss Kate
Logan and Mr. e. c. Bishop are de-
voting Their time to the promotion
of this movement. In February and
March they will go into the field to
assist in the actual work of local Or
ganization. Miss Logan, among 9TH
er things, will present this work Fri
day afternoon, December 10Th. Re-
member that she comes especially to
talk to parents. We believe that the
larger hearing she has, the more eff
fective her work will be in the coun-
ty next March. Please come to hear
girls with YOU.
:: :: :: .t..'
superintendent John Munroe, of
Faribault, Mimi, who will speak at
Lamont on Wednesday night and at
Leon FriLay afternoon, is one of the
foremost educators in the state Of
Minnesota. From our personal
knowledge of his work we question
whether there is another school man
in that state who has done more, if
as much, to promote the cause of ag-
riculture and vocat ional training in
the public schools. We have asked
him to come a great distance to talk
to the teachers of Decatur county,
because we know of no one else who
can come so nearly bringing this par
ticular message that we need. Please
hear him.
Professor Chas. B. Woodstock, of
Graceland College, will address the
teachers on Saturday morning and
will contribute otherwise toward
the discussions of the conference.
Professor Woodstock has charge of
the Normal Training department OF
Graceland College. He is splendidly
equipped for his work, and with his
excellent preparation, he is thor
oughly practical.
On Thursday evening. December
] Sth, an educational program will
be given at Lamont in connection
with the Short Course. A spelling
match will be one of the interesting
features of the evening. 1t is open
to any rural or grade pupil in Deca-
tur or Ringgold county. We hope
the boys and girls will enter freely
into this contes. $40 will be given
in prizes.
Lessons in rope tying will be an
other feature of the Short Course.
We hope that some of the boys and
girls who receive this instruction
will enter the rope tying contest at
Leon on Saturday afternoon.
tx :: :: ::
The Center township contest was
postponed from Friday until Monday
night on account Of the rain. The
Judges report that it was a rousing
good program. Doyle Brown, Of
South White Oak, won the first place
in defamation and Lulu Baker sec
ond place. We have no, yet learned
the names Of the winners in the
spelling match.
Contests will be held this week in
Decatur, Long Creek and High Point
townships