Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-05-17
may17dlt.h

some one signed + ar fldy d lew uds D
ago, and they want me to make this let
| ter defense Of Mr. Beal, the present
principal teacher-but, NOTHING DO
ING. He DOESN'T NEED IT. But,
will any of you mind if l do ask what's
the matter with Halloween? Are we big
oted narrow-minded, run by the power
of the dollar sign-plus or just too litter
ate ourselves to appreciate and under
stand the man who has dreamed big
dreams, day after day, hoped high hopes
for Hallowell High? DO we want our
boys and girls to SLIDE through Their
four years there on nothing more eifl
cient than the good old American game
of BLUFF Can't we honestly admit
that brains differ in quality. and if our
children DO come home with rank
co cards that make us want to go out
and Fix some one for the poor showing
thereon, are we such fools as not -
realize it MAY be, and most LIKELY Is
our angel child's own fault? You know
don't you, that some of us have to sta;
! awake nights wondering what we are 60
ing to make eventually of these trouble
some comforts of ours, and isn't it IT,, e
with some of us. too. that the teacher
whose methods we talk so much about is,
In. nine cases out of every ten, doing
more to make real men and women cut
of the material we furnish than we are
doing ourselves? OF course, we leave il
to the teachers-that's what we pay the m
for-but the credit in later years is all
ours, for are they not our very own? WE
gave them a High School Educa ton.
The teachers? Huh! THEY had moth
ing to do when our youngsters were in
their hands. And the Principal !.
Why he was just the goat thouIhtful!y
furnished by an accommodating School
Cemmittee-) on whom we had a perfect
right to vent our disappointment and
spleen when our darlings were weishe
in the balance and reported wanting. 1t
doesn't make any difference to us when
our graduated boy or girl attempts to go
to school higher up. that the Profess
sors have nice little trick Of wonder
ing what sort of a SCHOOL we have
down here in Hallowell. does 1t? And
we don't care a ''tinker's dam il the
present principal is doing his level best
to raise the student average OF our
school. do we? What does he want to
do THAT for? We haven't any pride IN
our schools anyway-(we prove it every
day by keeping away from the school as
we would keep from contamination with
the plague) When 1t comes to questions
concerning education we're SLACKERS'
aren't we land we don't care two hoots
and boiler II STACKER" nowadays
does mean something little worse than
Notwithstanding the family cat Wonio
be ashamed to be caught living WIN
What's the difference anyway II our
Youngsters don't study? Our boys VIII
ultimately get nice pretty diploma tieo
around with dainty ribbon Ito matcn
the dainty refreshments" we ALWAYS
serve at our social affairs) and our girls
will get their chance to wear two perfect
lNstunning gowns" at commencement; and
we can crack safe or make dent IN
our bank accounts to buy them bunch
OF American Beauties at 800 the bunch
What's the difference to US. We snould
worry, We have so many differing rea-
sons for sending our children through
High school, don't we? Little we care II
they finished the grammar grades on the
Skin of their teeth" or IL the teachers
there graduated them in sheer despair
(they do SOMETIMES, you know.
That's little thing for High school
teacher to fight for four years! And any
way SOMETHING must be done to be
sure our boys and girls will be kept out
Of mischief at the most troublesome age
and High School IL JUST the place for