River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-01-09
The City Schools

The schools opened Monday after
the two weeks vacation with every
teacher in her place and very full
attendance of pupils.
Next week closes the first semest-
er's work, and Thursday and Fri
day will be given over to examin-
alton. AS the Monday following,
Jan. 20, begins the new semester,
quite number have signified their
intention of beginning school work
at that time, and number of par
ents have said that they will send
their children to begin then.
1t may not be amiss to remind
the reader at this time that the
musical organizations of the high
school will put on musical enter
tainment in the Opera House Feb.
Ia. Remember the date.
While we are mentioning dates, it
is we'll to remember that the school
has contracted for a picture show
the week of Feb. 24-Mar l. Also,
il has arranged for a Lincoln Play
by Benjamin Chaplin in the Opera
House March IL. Keep those dates
we'll in mind.
This school district was one of
the first in the state of Wisconsin
to begin the furnishing of free text
books to the children of the district
1t is doubtful if anyone in the dis
trict has ever seriously questioned
the policy, Now. however, people
in the state, not in this district, are
beginning to seriously question the
policy from the standpoint of
health. The state has abolished
the common drinking cup, and the
common towel, and is after the
common soap cake, why not the
common book? 1t is claimed that
there are no better carriers of dis
ease than books, that it is practi.
cally impossible to disinfect them,
and that the danger of contagion,
of epidemic, because of the use of
common books is very great. II is
said that few parents would think
of buying second hand clothing for
their children, not knowing from
whom the clothing had come and
whether or not it had been clean
ed Yet that would not be so bad
as to have them using over again
the books that have passed through
many hands. When it is remem-
bered that the average life of school
books in our schools is three years,
it will readily be seen that each book
is handled by number of different
pupils. Many claim that the day
of free text books loaned to pupils
is doomed, and that in it's place
may come either the purchase of
books by the pupils, or their pur-
chase by the district to be given
outright to the pupils, or their pur-
chase by the district to be sold at
cost or less to the pupils. At any
rate, the question is coming before
the people of the state. Meanwhile.
it is in evidence to add that, if this
school was one of the first to adopt
the free text book system, so
through all the years of working of
that system there is no record of
any contagious disease being spread
by the books of the district.
A LOCAL MAN OR WOMAN is
desired right now to represent THE
PICTORIAL REVIEW in this territory
to call on those whose subscrip-
tions are about to expire Big
money for the right person-repre-
sentatives in some other districts
make over $500.00 month. Spare
time workers are literally paid for
what they do. Any person taking
up this position becomes the direct
local representative of the publish.
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