The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1914-11-12
NEWS CULLED
in THE CAPITAL
ACTIVITIES OF STATE DEPART.
MENTS-oTHER HAPPENINGS


~N'Nhy SS"SNiaa
There are now over 400 centralized
country schools in the state and the
number is growing fast. This is the
statement of w. A. McCurdy, the state
supervisor Of rural schools, who has
become very enthusiastic over the
centralized school as the result of his
observation of their operation. It has
been usual to refer to the improved
buildings, equipment and teaching
forces in making arguments in favor
of school Capitalization, but Mr.. Nc
Curdy brings in an additional one. He
says that boys-and girls, too-remain
much longer in school where centrali-
zation is carried out. than in schools
where there ore not more than dozen
or 20 pupils. The larger number of
pupils seems in itself to create a spirit
that holds the pupils.
Urges Study Of ohio's History.
Ohio school children should be more
familiar with the later history of the
state, so State School Superintendent
Frank W. Miller believes. He is look.
ing for good short history of tho
state to recommend for general use by
high school history teachers. THE
state campaign that is being waged
now should be of interest to every
high school boy and girl" said Supt.
Miller. There is a historical sig.
nificance in every state campaign
which ought to be seen by the youth
in the light of past state history and
future possible development. The
school children should be taught par
ticularly of the work of the constitu.
tional conventions in Ohio, the condi-
tions which made them necessary and
the results which followed. Early his
tory of Ohio is fascinating to children,
especially the pioneer tales of Indian
raids. The newness of our entire
country can be impressed on children
in no better way than by teaching
them of the social and economic con.
ditions of Ohio communities with
which they are familiar"
Unlucky John Taborn.
People who are superstitious enough
to believe that bad luck and misfor
tune are likely to follow certain people
to the end of their lives will doubtless
have the superstition strengthened
by the tragic end which has come to
old John Taborn, the man who broke
all records for the length of time
spent as a prisoner in the Ohio peni.
tentiary. Taborn was released from
imprisonment only one year ago. Sun.
day night he was burned to death in a
charity lodging house in Columbus.
The record of Taborn shows that some
sort of evil star pursued him to the
end. While still a young man, hardly
out of his teens, he became involved
in quarrel in Delaware county, Ohio,
and committed murder His penalty
was commitment for life in the pen
itentiary. For AZ years he was shut
off from the world, rs identity lost,
his name forgotten, ais personality
merged with a prison number. Sud-
denly, one year ago, Taborn was pa
rolled and all the newspapers of the
country described his wonderment in
seeing electric street cars and auto
mobiles for the first time in his life.
"Old Man" Taborn went back to his
old haunts in Michigan, but all Of his
friends and relatives were dead. Sor.
rowfully he returned to the prison and
asked to be taken in again. His re-
quest refused, he tried for work re-
peatedly but failed. Then it was that
he took lodging in the charity lodging
house. The fire which started in the
lodging house Sunday evening seemed
leagued with Taborn's evil fate. 1t
caught the broken down old man in
one of the upper floors and he and
two others were suffocated. All of the
other dodgers escaped.