Licking Valley courier., 1917-10-11
An Open Letter.

week before last, as we'll as the
response by "A Citizen" in last
weeks issue, with reference to
some of the public behavior of
the young people of West Liber-
.ty. | take it, however, that the
editor did not mean, and certain
lay it is not true, that his re-
marks should be applied to every
boy and girl in our town be
tween the ages of five and fif-
teen." There are indeed some
noteworthy exceptions, = note
worthy chiefly because there are
so few of them. If boys and
girls could be measured by the
handful, those exceptions would
be found to occupy a remote po-
sition somewhere on the little fin
ger of the left hand. But if they
could be weighed in balances
which would respond only to
some test Of true worth and pos
sibilities for future usefulness,
any single member of this we'll
behaved little group would be
likely to outweigh all the rude
and noisy ones put together.
Now it must be patent to every
reasonable person that such a
situation as that to which the ed
itor referred could not exist un-
less some one-or more than one
were responsible for it. But
who is the responsible person or
persons in this instance? Ger
, tainly the children themselves
; must not be considered wholly to
blame, for their conduct is of the
kind that is always found in com.
munities where the environment
: of the young is not properly re-
7 stricted and regulated. There is
nothing in the world more natu
raj than the exuberance of you'll
the effervescence of youthful
? spirits. The energies of child
3 hood must and will find expires
sion in some way; and as nobod!
expects a child to have mucl
judgment or discretion, the chilt
7 ought not to be blamed for fail
: ure to observe the rules of polit
t conduct when it has little or n
consistent instruction along thes
lines.
The editorial above mentione
quoted a very severe, thoug
Il very just, criticism of the be
u havior of our young folks on tn
occasion of the first Red Cros
reception to our new soldiers, an
follows the quotation with tn
statement that 1T is a sad con
Z mentary on the home and schot
It training of our boys and girls.
e Well, the statement is in fact cor
siderably more than half tru,
but not wholly so. And on b'
half of each and every teache
" now working in the school, / wis
y to state that the West Libert
= public school positively decline
II to accept any part of the blam
f. for the conduct of the young pc,
-, pie of this community an any o,
casion not directly connected wit
the organized functions of tt
school. Patrons and others wi
have been present at our variol
, public exercises can testify tn;
:, a fair degree of good order h;
~ invariably prevailed; which SHOW
ID that when the children are und,
l. the control of their teachers, the
st make a very creditable effort
II deport themselves properly.
w But the influence of a school
y matters of this kind, unless rel
forced by the efforts of the pa
I, ents in their homes, extends on
n to the top rail of the camp
IN fence. The average child, espe
ed tally when he is out of schoC
es will obey the rules and follow Il
advice of his teacher just so lol
as he is sure that his parents a
a1 cooperating with the teacher
n the regulation of his condut
lg But if he is allowed to feel tn
father and mother do not ca
70 whether he behaves as the teac
er advises or not, then, outsi
~ of school hours, he is sure in nj
nc cases out of ten to be a rowd
an noisy, contemplate, downwar
e. bound young ruffian, whose or
SIS chance of redemption is apt to
ed in the lessons he will learn frC
the hard experiences and dis,