The Detroit times., 1914-12-24
SUGGESTIONS


This column will be turned over to-
today to story OF the recent wis.
itation day" OF The Times, and some
OF its results.
When the plan of inviting the
school editors to visit homes in their
school districts where The Times was
not taken and urge them 10 do so, We
had more than purely mercenary
motive In view.
Through the school department
more than 500 boys and girls had
been given an opportunity to take up
practical, effective study OF Eng.
lish and composition, the value OF
which Is conceded by teachers and
pupils alike. Not school editor Will
deny but that they have been greatly
benefited.
Then, when the management OF
The Times decided to extend the USE
fulness OF a clean, wholesome news
paper through visitation day" IL
was decided that here was another
opportunity for the school editors TO
show their mettle," and secure a
little more practical experience In do
ing the ordinary things OF life and
speaking up for themselves"
suit OF the experiment is that not all
\. the editors grasped the opportunity
and many of them failed TO respond
to the call entirely. However, we are
not "sore" on this point at all. as
the benefit to The Times Is really
greater than we expected. and only
regret that SO few OF the editors
shared In the splendid amount OF
prize and commission money The
Times handed out as a reward for en-
terprising effort
To the boys and girls who did get
out and hustle" We wish to express
not only appreciation of their effort
to further the interests of The Times,
but to congratulate them on such a
fine showing of courage, enterprise
and thrift and the substantial reward
they received.
There are excuses why a larger
number OF the editors did not take adj
vantage OF the chance offered them
10 earn a little spending money for
She holidays, and we have no quarrel
with them because OF an apparent
lack OF interest or enterprise, for
many OF them did not understand
what was wanted fully, and the plan
was not made entirely clear.
Some great big surprises were dis
closed when the final results were
made known, and now that the In
cident Is closed, several hun .red boys
and girls declare the summing up
would have been quite different had
they realized how 1t was going to
turn out.
Central high for instance, won
third team prize and only two OF the
editors worked 1t Is now clear to
A-<all OF them that the first prize could
have been won with the greatest ease
with concerted action.
Boys and girls who expected no re-
ward other than the satisfaction of
knowing that they had performed
pleasing duty, have several dollars
. extra spending money, while those
who made no effort at all, are disap-
pointed for allowing the opportunity
TO slip by without effort.
But OF all the surprises and eager
delight with which the results or the
contest were received, that out at
little Firnane school eclipsed them
all. Miss Cousins, the principal, was
called up on the telephone and told
that little May Monte had won the
capital prize $500, and the Joy IL at
forded her to know that the editor
in-chief OF her school, tiny girl or
IL years, had won such distinction,
was indicated by the hesitating,
trembling voice that responded to the
message. Indeed, will tell her at
once. and the entire school besides,
she said, and while we were not pres
! ent TO witness subsequent proceed
ings, we can easily imagine how they
carried on" over their little heroine.
Not far behind the stirring events
at Firnane were those at Palmer,
where Wendell Maske, a lad OF IL
wears. and editor-in-chief. attends
school John N. Mead Is principal OF
Palmer, and, OF course, man Is not
expected TO show emotion when an
announcement OF uausual interest Is
made. but when he was called on the
phone and told that Wendell was win
ner OF the second individual prize In
the contest $3.50, the dignity in the
voice that responded to the message
was strangely mixed with other emo
lions.
! stanton Palmer, winner OF the third
prize ,($15), attends school at Palmer,
and Is an associate on the editorial
staff No other editor entered the
contest from this school, SO stanton
had the neld all 10 himself no saiu,
when a bright, new ten and fve-dol-
lar bill, in addition to his commits
sion, were handed to him: Il hadn't
y any idea OF winning even two-dollar
prize, but I thought Il was my duty
to get out and show appreciation OF
what The Times was doing for US
school kids, and maybe make few
dimes besides. II the other editors
had joined in, | am sure we would
have captured the first team prize
also"
Stanley Burbridge is not an editor
at Highland Park high. but he saw
an opportunity and grasped Il. With
the consent OF the chief editor and
the associates. he organized a work
ing team and started out for the first
prize for team work (s25), and got It,
A pretty thing In connection with his