Evening journal., 1916-05-06
teachers
ACCOMPLISH MUCH
Truancy and TrespasSing
Are Discussed by Mr..
Farra and Mr. @Bready
NEW CASTLE BOY
HURT IN COLLISION


Special TO THE EVENING JOURNAL.
NEW CASTLE. May 6.-In the High
School last evening the Parent-Teach-
ers' Association held an interesting
meeting. e. Ross Farra. probation
officer Of the Juvenile Court, Whining
ton, spoke on the subject, Building
For tomorrow Mr.. Farra said in
part:
Workers with children have prac-
tically all reached the conclusion that
the problem Of the child is no more.
IL is a problem of the worker know
ing how TO reach the child
Misunderstanding of the child has
been the cause of the downfall of a
very large number Of children who
reach our courts for one reason or
another,
Il desire to bring TO your attention
tonight. one form of delinquency.
namely, truancy. | shall attempt TO
show you its relation to other forms
of delinquency
The first cause for truancy that /
viii name is lack of definite interest
in their children upon the part of the
parents.
Some parents allow the rush of
Social life; some business interests; /;
some for apparently no reason. allow
their other duties to prevent their
taking definite interest in their
childs school life. OF course. some
folks do not have any interest i'm any
thing their children do. and the
rot u 1aI al.
people too. Some folks have absO-
lutely no ideas of punctuality or regu-
larity
"The majority of parents take little
or no interest in the home study Of
their children.
In past days l think the interest
parents took in the lesson study at
home by their children materially
helped the parents to keep friend
ship and point Jf contact with their
children they do not have today. on
account of their lack of this interest
Then again. parents fail to visit the
school and find first-handed from the
teacher. her successes ana failures
with their boy or girl This would
avoid many Misunderstanding be-
tween teacher and child and many
times il is the apparent cause of a
childs truancy Also, when a child is
troublesome and backward in school,
much truancy could be avoided if the
teacher would occasionally visit the
child's home and show the child and
its parents that the teacher was defn-
itcly interested in that particular
cl lid So many children who. by their
81. auN1 1.g
com a nuisance i'm the sch vol room,
have. I believe after being placed on
probation, tried TO behave themselves
. but claimed they could not because
the teacher had IL in for them OF
course this was not true. but the
teacher very likely could have rene
died this attitude by visit or two to
the child's home. If time permitted.
could give a number of instances to
illustrate this.
"SecOnd-A second cause Of truancy
is physical defects of the child. It is
alarming how many children who
have been very troublesome i'm school
and who haze been persistent truants,
have changed their whole attitude
when they have had their hearing or
sight or nerves or teeth repaired.
"I am fully convinced of the need Of
medical examination in all schools.
Third Evil companions cause a
good percentage of truancy. 90 per
cent of all those arrested for any
cause and brought before the court,
arc either truants when arrested or
have been a short time before being
arrested.
"Truancy surely leads to larceny or
stealing. The child first steals time.
He should be improving time by at
tending school Then he steals his
God given talents; steals them be-
cause he fails to develop them. Even
tually he will steal some commodity.
81 have proved this to my satistac-
tion in the cases that have 'cOme be-
fore the court, of which l am chief pro-
baton officer.
The possibilities OF a Parent-Teach-
crs' Association are unlimited. To
them is given the opportunity to
bring these facts and other problems
of the community to the attention of
parents and children This should be
a community centre where all COM
munity problems could be discussed
and means devised for their solution"
Victrolas and RecOrds.-Bridge-
water.-Adv.
Safety First On Railroads
Stuart Brady. publicity agent of the
p. r. and w. r. r. Company, spoke
ON Safety First" He pointed out
how the Pennsylvania Railroad Com
pany during the past year carried
500. 600 600 passengers without fatal
injury to enc. He said II was SAFE
to ride but dangerous TO walk on
railroads He said the railroads OF
the country kill fifteen trespassers
every day. making total greater
than those lost in the Johnstovn
flood. the Baltimore fire. in the San
Francisco earthquake and the Lusi-
tania and Titanic disasters. He sug-
gesied that school teachers lead in
this new safety first movement by
teaching their scholars not TO tres
mass on railroad tracks or lounge at
railroad CROSSINGS. He also suggest
ed that the scholars be educated not
10 throw stones at the passenger and
freight trains.
Dorothy Gilman gave a pleasing
recitation and Mary S. Eliason de-
lighted the audience with piano
solo.
The educational committee of the
Century Club presented the library
with $50 worth of books, including an
encyclopedia.
Mrs. Madden was named chairman
of the committee to arrange for a
social hour at the next meeting Of
the association.