The Mena weekly star., 1916-10-05
ENTHUSIASM WAS
 THE KEYNOTE
 OF SCHOOL RALLY
epFAT CROWD CAME IN FROM oyER THE COUNTY AND MANY
 FINE EXHIBITS WERE MADE.
TALKS BY EDUCATORS

Every element and condition was
 Favorable Friday for the Third An
 aual Educational Rally and School
 Fair, and every evidence pointed to
 inereasing interest on the part of
 he teachers, pupils and patrons in
 4his red letter day event in the edu-
 Rational interest of the county. All
 .]uring the week those in to9eh with
 the work have marveled at the
 splendid exhibits that were being
 placed in position in the court
 room and they saw in this fore
 cast of an enthusiastic and benefit
 cial rally.
 The band was not on hand be-
 cause of the absence of the leader EOn business, the sunrise salutes were not fired, and whistles of the mills did not blow, for the reason that it just happened that the mills were not steamed up. And yet the absence of these things did not dampen the enthusiasm of the pu- pils. Probably never before were the pupils of the Southside and Central schools more prompt in att tendance than they were this morn ing. for they knew that they were
 to march and that they were to
 meet the visitors who came in on
 the special train from the south,
 and three-quaftefs of an hour be-
 nd
 of these schools and the pupils to
 the number of fully 400 were in
 line on Mena street ready to greet
 the incoming guests. They we're a lively, wiggling mass of humanity,
 full of vigor and young life, which
 was intensified by the crispness of the morning air. With the delega-
 ton from the Mena schools we're
 the teachers and pupils from the Rich Mountain and Howard schools,
 Mir. and Mrs. J. M Tomlin at the head of the Rich Mountain deIega- ton and N. 0. White heading the delegation from the Howard school.
 These delegations had come on the carly morning train. Then. too, there was Prof. R. l.. Thrailkill and his pupils from Thacker school who were in the receiving line.
 The events of the day really be- gan in interest when the special train arrived carrying delegations from Potter, Old Potter Hatfield. Cove. HattOn, Nandervoort Grannis, Wickes and other points along the line and the country tributary thereto, making in all a company of about POO people. all filled with the same interest and spirit that was anlmatIng the pupils and teachers that were awaiting their arrival
 He who was not inspired by the procession of school children from the train to the court house ground IS not alive to the importance of the of the young life of this county. Rich Mountain and Howard schools headed the process Slon, then came Gam school. fol- lowed by Ozark, Cove, Hatton, Van dervOOrt, Hatfield and the others, With the Mena pupils bringing up the rear. Arriving at the court house, the procession broke ranks and all were given an opportunity to ex- anime and admire the school ex- hlblts that were on display. These presented the most tangible evil dence of the work that is being done in the schools of the county. Even the vestibule of the court room had to be utilized to make room for exhibits. that in variety of work excelled those that had been made Tn former years, nor was there any backward move of the quality of the work Some of the schools that have had splendid ex- hlblts in other years were not rep- resented this year for the reason that school work had just begun. l lhls is particularly true of the | schools in Mena, Hatfield, Wickes, | Grannis and the other points where summer terms were not held As a result the exhibits were large- ly from the rural districts.
 As the visitor entered the exhibit | room he was at once impressed with | the fact that the schools of Polk | county are doing something besides | teaching book learning, for the first | exhibit was from district No. 66 and | contained some fine specimens of | corn raised by the boys. Cove with | US fine exhibit of drawings and d0- | nestle art work in addition to the | regular school work gave notice that | the hands as we'll as the heads were | Delng trained in that school. Next | came Ozark school with that enthu- slast, Tom ] Wilbanks at the head, | Wlth specimens of school work, do- | nestic art and a portfolio of A ko- 1ak views showing the activities in | ana about school life. flatton. with | MISS Irene Thornton, as the teach er m her first school. had an exhibit | mat showed splendid diversity in | educational work. From patchwork | qullts to the most delicate embroid- 1 efy was a record of the work of the | slrls In domestic art, and with that | was fine display of school work | III uraWlngs, manuscripts and sam sl1 ples of busy work done by the little |
 Old Potter, with Roy B. Holder as esacherr, made a complete exhibit | oI work that was done at the final | eexsaimflnation. : which after all is one | pL .L the best measures of the work | s,lat s.la IS being done by the pupils | MT Holder and his pupils were con- sratulated on all sides for the high | eiass of the work.
 hatfield school, altho not in ses-
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