The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-07-22
School Teachers Are Not in
Literary Clouds.
Reporter at County Institute
Finds Them "Real."
SLANG THEIR pet AMUSEMENT
And They Are Just as Crazy
Over Movies as eve ALL"
One Pair of Girls Was Known
as ssMutt and JEFF"

| Until 1 attended a boarding house
where seven school ma ams-count
| 'en-seven-ate, drank and made
merry three times a day this summer
I always thought all teachers were in
teIlect and preciseness raised to the
nth power. In layman's terms, I al
ways was afraid of teachers, espe-
cially of the female of the order
pedagogue."
Awe struck and almost tongue tied
1 have stood in the presence of this
variety of the genius homo, deeply
| impressed by the learning and wis
dom which is stored up in their brain
cells However, up to recently my ex-
perience with teachers has been linn
tied to being n humble pupil in their
environment of desks and black
boards, or a still humber interviewer
of teachers, as a reporter at teachers
conventions, which the teaching fra
! ternity once a year attends in gladdest
rags and ribbons.
Looked Too High.
| On these occasions, I never
dreamed that these prodigies of learn
! ing ever condescended to use slang or
/ play croquet, but supposed they
| scared continually in the high, thin
air of intellectual shop talk. Perhaps
this is true of Shawnee county teach
ers, but I have had laboratory
experience in another county which
proves how human and loVable are
the moulders of the brains of our
children.
When our landlady warned me that
| our boarding place was soon to be
| the abiding place of seven school
ma ans 1 felt like a German soldier
just before the kaiser reviews his
/ company.
Mutt and Jeff.
| The advance guard of the insti-
| tuters arrived Saturday afternoon
! The first 1 saw was a tall blonde ac-
companied by a short brunette. I
! heard the tall one call the short one
Mutt and the short one call the tall
| one Jeff" Score one for their sense
of humor,' I said to myself, as I heard
the two mentioned conversing in their
! room, just above mine, as to the land
scape gardening required in the ar
rangement of their trunks and suit
cases.
Didn't Expect To.
At supper five teachers assembled
! at the table, heightened by the handy
invention which landladies call a
| wing" The usual rapid fire intro
| auctions had begun when 1 reached
my end of the table. After being for
mally presented, one of the young
women asked me where expected to
| teach. I told her that 1 did not expect
| to teach at all, that I couldn't teach,
but thanked her for the compliment
Thus the ice was broken. At first the
talk was technical-about first grades
and second grades-long terms and
short terms, etc.
Meanwhile 1 held my tongue. It
was surely no conversation for a
newspaper mans son. Finally toward
the dessert suburb of the supper, the
tall blonde-the one who became
known to all of us as "Jeff'-asked
if there was any good motion picture
shows in our town. She didn't say
''cinematograph" show, either.
Thus the royal road of learning was
paved for the advances of a non-pro-
fessional The remarks that followed
indicate that these teachers were as
much motion picture fans and as we'll
versed in film fancies as the ordi-
nary human. Thus we met on the
common ground of FINLAND.
A Few Classical selections.
Growing holder. referred to one or
two classical selections, extracts OF
which 1 had heard of other teachers
committing to memory. The teachers
were visibly surprised.
why" cooed one in a voice of a
teacher praising a pupil for a good
recitation, you must be literary.
! resisted the temptation to accept
the honor and told her no, that l was
only newspaper man-not even a
journalist-just a mere reporter with
limited ability at that.
She replied that she thought that
a reporter didn't know anything about
real literature nor could he express
himself like the literary people. From
bitter experience I told her that good
metropolitan reporters actually were
more practical than literary in their
use and abuse of English.
I also secretly sighed when thought
of the time I had spent-of the mid
Il a N
ancient and classical stuff, when l
might better have been snoozing or
reading contemporaneous exchanges.
Incidentally she said that she herself
hid "cut out" studying anything
which was not required in her school
work and that there was nothing
doing" when it came to scientific or
too highbrow stuff. And had
thought that no teacher would tolerate
much less use slang!
After supper a rush for the croquet
ground followed and later an invasion
of the one picture show the town af-
forded. 1 went with the crowd as far
as the main street of the town, hav-
ing much work to do that evening and
Few ntckelS to spend, so did not hear
their comments at the show, but as
far as general remarks were con-
cerned,, they appeared to forget that
they were dignified teachers attending
an institute.
Out for Fun.
To do them justice those teachers all
studied hard in the afternoons, so the
landlady said, and / understand that
all passed with good grades. Between
times, these guiders of young destinies
We're openly out for fun. One morn
ing 1 heard a great row going on in
the room above mine. At the break
fast table 1 learned that the short
brunette, called Jeff" had hidden the
other teachers shoes and stockings.
This was sample Of the practical
Jokes they played on one another.
However, the fun was all of the good.
wholesome kind, the exuberance of
health and good spirits
In short, these teachers were not
worn out, prirn old ladies, but repre-