Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-08-30
CHEEVER FAvORS
RACTIME STRAINS
Institute Speaker Makes Startling
Confessions to Teachers of County
Gathered at High School.
RAPs OLD CLASSICS IN HIS TALK
Says swimming of Barbara Worth Is
Source of More Pleasure to Him
Than Works of Past.

W. H. Cheever of the faculty of the
ling confessions to 53S Rock Island
county teachers at the institute meet
ing at the high school today when he
told them that he secured more pleas
ure reading "The Winning of Barbara
Worth" than he did from the classics.
He told them, too, that he liked rag
time music, and went on to say that
he considered the saloon essential to
the social spirit of the community,
minus the liquor feature, of course.
Mr.. Cheever said that he had no
sympathy for the classical literature
| now being forced upon the present
day students, and declared he received
more pleasure from the reading of
THE Winning of Barbara Worth" than
from an entire volume of rich, clas-
steal lore. He expressed an occasional
weakness for ragtime, although he
also cares for the higher class of mu-
sic Mr.. Cheeyer is an ardent student
of saloons, having studied them in
Europe as we'll as America, and he
positively asserts that he would not
think of abolishing a saloon in any
community unless he could replace it
with an institution which would sup
ply men with a place to gather, play
cards, fraterniZe, and in general con-
tribute all the sociability found in Sa
looms, minus the intoxicating drinks.
Mr. Cheever touched many subjects
of vital interest to all instructors and
students of life. Speaking of intro
ducing religious songs in schools, Mr..
Cheever said that he considered a true
love song as truly religious as Lead,
Kindly Light" He then took up the
subject of teaching pupils to think.
He advocated good conundrums, etc,
be propounded by the children them
selves, as being excellent methods of
forcing the students to reason
for themselves He spoke strongly
against the old-fashioned method of
memorization, especially in spelling
He emphatically urged that the child
be required to spell only the words
embraced in his everyday speech, al
though he favored the widening of
vocabulary as fast as was desirable.
Literature Being Forgotten?
Miss Ellis spoke today on subject
of extreme Importance to the English
teachers and students of literature.
The title was American Literature in
the High Schools" In her speech she
stated that English literature is being
given too much preference TO the study
of English and that American Itera-
ture is being forgotten in the study
of the poets. She brought to mind the
fact that much of the fine literature of
today is truly American and that such
poets as Longfellow, Whittier, Lowell
Emerson and others should receive
due attention as among the great poets
of the age. She emphasized the points
with passages from writings by Amer
Id h. . a.1
adoption of a regularly prescribed
course of American literature in the
high schools.
Two East Moline high school girls.
a junior and senior, entertained the
attending teachers with vocal num-
bers. Miss Mason sang My Heart
Goes Out to You" After an encore,
Miss Aldrich joined her in rendering
Holy Mother" Incessant applause
brought a response in the form OF a
conversational piece called Mary and
Jane"