The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-07

"such partie to be given in ye spirit of hard times which do now prevail.
 Admittance
 Ten pennies it shall be to all Whether 1t be great or small" Come at ye time of candle lighting and stay till bedtime. Ye good people are also urged to bring ye friends.
 Rules for ye Partie
 "Ye women must wear ye cotton gowne and apron or equally befltting apparel
 .'Ye men must wear ye plain attire. Such meme as do bedeck themselves l with gold watch, chain or brocade tie shall pay ye fine of cents. "Ye men and ye women who shall ap pear at such partie in garments most suitable shall partake of ye refresh ments two times.
 These rules shall be inforced by ye select committees, who will likewise introduce strangers
 "Ye supper will consist of ginger bread served with lemonade; and much | extra amusement free to all.
 Lyste of Fines
 These be ye fines for women: No apron, cents; trimmed apron, ? cents; neck chain, cents; no hat cents; new hat ? cents; wool dress. cents; silk dress, cents; hair ribbon, ? cents; fancy hair pins. ? cents: bracelet, cents; dress trimmings, cents Those be ye fines for ye meme: Moustache, cents: full beard. ? cents, patent leather shoes. cents; glasses, cents. same as ye fine for ye women who wear glasses, ye gold cuff but tons, cents; ye scarf pin, cents; ye linen collar, cents; ye cuffs, cents tan shoes cents; silk tie. 2 cents "Etxra: Flirting, cents; telling 60 laoe This hard times party was suggested by one offthe teachers, Miss Weir, and the other teachers and the ladies f tho school improvement society worked hard to mike it a success. Many of the ladies wore cotton dresses, but none escaped fines on some account and the meH were fined repeatedly. There was fortune telling booth that was quite popular, and several ideas that carried out the suggestion | of poverty party. One of these was the selling of a cake recipe that re- 1 quired no eggs, butter nor milk. | The funds were for a sewing machine to be used by the domestic science class This class is taught by one of the teachers after school hours. Tho result of their work was shown last 1 year when the girls who finished the 1 grammar grade course were able to make the dresses they wore at the clos
 
 1 frocks whose cost averaged 55 cents. 1 Another activity of this school. not 1 directly in line of the school improve ment association, but certainly under that head is the moonlight school that was organized on the first moonlight night in February and is held on moon- l light nights. It is taught by the princi- ral of the school. Daniel Harmon, as- l sisted by the teachers. and is open with l out charge to the grown people who | want to study. Some of those who have entered are the heads of families l some have never been to school and | others are studying to improve them selves along some line in which they are interested
 | From Shelby county comes the report of something a bit unusual in school 1 eXtension-a father and daughter who l are each teaching moonlight schools and who are working against illiteracy 1 in that county They are MT and Mise Shelton. and they both teach day schools and do the extra work without charge.
 Schools of Randolph County Randolph county is giving especial at tention to school improvement In Au- gust its associations numbered IT. and in January they had increased to 35. A short time ago a clean-up day was ob- served by 60 schools in that county, and Ia number of homes followed the same plan.
 The Randolph County High school is taking the initiative in encouraging school improvement and recently gave a dem onstration in such work. It was held at Center school, four miles rom We dowee and was under the supervision of Principal Burkes of the county high l school. The patrons of Center school assembled at the school building and spent the day in practical school improve ment, the work being, of course. planned in advance. The grounds were graded, the schoolhouse was painted. a number 1 Of smaller Improvements were made. Gen. ter school is located where there is much passing and its improvement will be seen, so that is 1t hoped the idea of one-day work on the school buildings and grounds will become popular in that county. The same plan has been used elsewhere
 Randolph is one county that is sue 1 cessful in having a county school im- provement association, the most of the coun ties failing on account of the dis tance necessarily covered. Randolph S l county association met early in January It indorsed the three proposed school measures put before the legislature: local l taxation, compulsory attendance law and more adequate supervision of schools. The most important action of the meet ing to. raise the efficiency of schools of the county was a plan adopted for a meeting of all teachers in the county. the purpose of the two-days' convention being to revive at this rather monotonous. tiring season of the year, the inspiration and the plans of the summer institute held before the opening of school. This fig departure from the usual programme and is one many counties might use just now with profit. Such a conference can aid the teachers now that they have had experience and are familiar with condi- tions in whatever school they are teach ing. and they may be told how to accom- plfsh desired ends in home economies. reading circle work, community organi- i7ption, and in clftss room teaching, be- fore the close of the present term.
 In her rural school at Wedowee, in Randolph county. Miss Maybelle Jackson has combined school improvement meet ings with the affairs the school has given on special days. The first was Thanksgiving day, when the association was organized. and on Christmas day there was another entertainment I One school in the county gave an old fashioned spelling match in the blueback ] speller and found that 1t secured attend I ance of the patrons and another had a T s1ofj -ftflo6 ul1dlfnif, ,.sva= for x7df1ofo on