Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1916-05-11
LIBERTY SCHOOL CLOSING.
(By Mrs. Billie Smith,

there on recent FRIDAY TO ENJOY
basket dinner and the clever program
that the teacher of Liberty, Miss Bes-
sic Hickman, and her pupils had ar
ranged for the entertainment of the
crowd. The room was beautifully
decorated with spring flowers and the
maps, water colors, pen drawings
and note work of the children. A
miniature farm, complete in every de-
tail, with encouragingly prosperous
looking fields of grain, was indica-
tive of the hopes OF this community.
In one corner of the school room
was we'll equipped grocery store
furnished with every variety of sam
pies imaginable which had been con-
tributed for the use of the school in
buying and selling and making
change by Mr.. ]. G. Kings Quality
Market in Mexico. We have never
1
seen more attractive, more bounti-
full or better collection of leafs"
served than the housekeepers of Lib
erty provided. Fried chicken,
country ham, potato chips, sand
wiches, salads, cakes, and pies of
every known variety. And, as Miss
Hickman laughingly said, in her
friendly little informal before the
curtain" speech, she knew we had all
eaten until we were helpless to resist
any torture that their program might
intiict upon us in the course of the
afternoon. She had taught and la
bored with and drilled those children
for eight happy months, she said,
and If they disgraced her by anything
approaching failure she hoped the au-
dience would administer swift and
sure punishment.
After listening to the program we
realize that she felt quite safe in
Trusting to our verdict of approval,
for the entertainment was clever and
original from the first numbers when
the baby of the school, little Eleanor
Mae Smith gave the opening address
to the last goodly speech. The mo-
ton songs by the graceful little girls,
with Miss Hickman at the organ, the
dialogs, solos, choruses and recita-
tions were each perfectly given and
with no apparent need of a prompter.
Joe Harrison as NEGRO Nose" and
Martillus Barnes as a dignified pro-
lessor especially pleased the audience
with their sly, personal jokes and up
on various ones of the neighborhood.
Opal Smith also deserves special men
ton as her recitation was unusually
good.
After program was finished Miss
Hickman surprised her pupils by an
nouncing that she had some gifts to
present. They had done their years
work with no promise of prizes, other
than the pleasures of excelling. But
Permelia Owings, Mamie Belle Lock
ridge, Joe Harrison, Tom Archer and
Martillus Barnes had been perfect in
attendance. Opal Smith and Eleanor
Mae Smith had done specially good
work and County Superintendent
w. Clyde Johnson on recent visit tc
the school had commended Lena
Smiths notebook on Agriculture
and Permelia owings' Nature Study
Book, saying that they were the best
he had seen in the county So eacf
of the pupils named received souVe
mir to remind each in the future o.
good work done in 1S15-1s16. W.
think it was the pleasantest day o
r all the year in Liberty District. W.
like to think of our school house as {
r community building, and we ar
: proud of our neighborhood, and ou
{ children, and grateful to Miss Hick
t man who has given US her best in tn
] school room and has been delightful
q acquisition socially as we'll. She wa
d asked If she would consider tn
n school for next year, but she has no
fully decided upon her plans for tn
coming winter, so it was with regre
that we told her goodby and took GU