The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1916-04-06
THE SCHOOL QUESTION
Superintendent Flower Replies To
Mr.. Mattison's Statements.

Editor Herald :-Everyone must
have been pleased with the attend
ance statistics published in Mr.. Mat
tison's letter last night. Certainly
no one could read down that list of
| figures without realizing that the
public school attendance, especially
that of the High school, has increased
steadily, year after year. If he had
brought the record down to date, il
would have made even better show.
ing as the average daily attendance
for this year shows a good healthy in
crease over that of last year or any
year previous to that. Such a record
Is a fine advertisement for any COM
munity and certainly is source of
Justitiable pride to the people of o.
kaloosa. A constantly growing at
tendance shows that the people of
this community not only have the
means to keep their children in school
longer than heretofore but that they
also have the welfare of the young
people sufficiently at heart to spend
some of their means to give them the
best opportunity possible. 1t means
that the young people of this COM
munity, the citizens of tomorrow,
are the right sort; that they have
the ambition and industry necessary
for adequate preparation for later
life. 1t means that fewer boys and girls
are being forced or enticed into in
dustrlal world at the earliest possible
age. In this day of opposition to child
labor, everyone is more than pleased
to see this evidence from the school
that 1t Is holding a larger and larger
number of its pupils during the years
and at the ages when their labor has
been exploited in the past. All OF us
who have been interested in vocation
al guidance are glad to see the boys
and girls remaining in school longer
than heretofore as this means that
thew are delaying the selection of a
vocation until they are old enough to
weigh such matters in much more
careful manner and this increases the
of avoiding what has been
termed "the blind allev job" the work
or calling requiring little or no skill
and affording no future, the job in
which the experienced are on the same
footing as the inexperienced, There
are still other reasons why constant.
Nv growing attendance at school re-
fleets credit upon the community, but
the above is sufficient to show why
this community should be proud of the
facts presented by Mr., Mattison.
Mr. Madison attributes the increase
In attendance at the High school to
two things: (1) Sixty-nine tuition pu-
pills have been on the High school rolls
his year, and (2) no class finished
he high school at Christmas. 1t is
iifiicult for one who knows that there
nave been tuition pupils in the High
School practically every year since
his building was erected and who is
familiar with the number of tuition
pupils enrolled for the past few years,
20 see how much of this gain in the
High school can be attributed to the
.uition pupils. II Is true that some of
t is due to them. For instance, in
1915 we had only 81 tuition pupils and
his year We enrolled SO. But we can
lot credit them with more than their
share and the local enrolment is re-
ponsible for part-a good part at
hat-of this gain. During the past
hree years from IS to 81 per cent OF
he pupils finishing the 9Th grades
lave entered the high school, whereas
mum p"sl COllI was IllC GUS
ON of the past. Here is the main
eason for the growth, and it is one of
which We may all be proud.
1t is difficult to see how one can
an attribute the increase in the High
chool to lack of class graduating
n the middle of the year, because ev-
ryone who completes the High school
curse at the middle of the year is al
owed to quit school at that time even
the diploma is not given to the pu-
Ill until June. A few take advantage
t this opportunity every year and
his has been the case for some time,
nut the number does not correspond
o Mr.. Mattison's estimate. which is
1ore than double the number involv-
d.
Judging from what Mr.. Mattison
as to say as to the needs of the High
chool, | am afraid that he has not
Investigated this phase of the subject
cry carefully. as am sure that
nan Of his intelligence would have
ONE to a different conclusion If he
ad secured all the facts In the case
rst The needs Of the local High
chool. as we'll as the plan of building
n addition to the building. are dis
ussed in detail In a pamphlet pub
ished recently by the High school
tudents and distributed so widely
hat it is unnecessary to take the mat.
err up again here. Everyone should
cad this little pamphlet referred to
IS the same contains q complete dis
ussion of the whole public school
problem so far as IL relates to the
Decial election for April 25.
Signed) t's- o. P. FLOWER