The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-02-22
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY %, 1917
The Lost Art-"Playing Hooky."


Playing Hooky," so dear to the
memory of all who some time travel IN
memory back to the days of "real
sports . is getting to be forgotten art
No longer do we see the small boy Graf
tily slipping away around the side OF
the school building and rambling OF
care free and school free to the banks
of the river to fish or to loaf about UNI
Til the school bell rings the time to get
home for dinner. Hooky is no longer
fashionable and with the disappearance
of hooky comes the realization OF the
fact that modern systems of education
al management are doing a lot to bring
the reformation of the bad boy" In
fact, the chad boy" made famous by
former governor Of Wisconsin and
pictured as the terror of the childish
days is being officially reformed and
by this reformation put out of bust
ness. You can study hundreds Of charts
of school attendance today without
finding the word "hooky' and when
you find the word "truant" you will
usually find in connection with it the
mention of the parents who are con-
tributing to the delinquency Of the
child. Hooky is no longer fashionable.
Many of the small boys Of today do not
know the meaning Of the word
Modern methods of education have
emphasized the Importance of school
attendance and in Kenosha today the
man who has the position of Ftruancy
officer and the title is wrong title
is a more important potentate in the
schools than any individual teacher. He
is probably contributing more to the
cause of education than any group of
teachers. 1t is his activities that took
Z" hooky" out of the vocabulary OF
Boyville. At that, he is not the DOGGY
man, but the friend of the student
The truant officer spends more of his
time chasing neglectful parents than
willingly neglectful boys and girls.
Boys and girls today appreciate the
value of education Some times their
parents fail in this line The records
of this official in Kenosha show that
much of his time is given over to find
ing out why the parents do not send
their children to school. Some Of them
lack an appreciation of the value of ed
ucation. Some of them put tie few dol
lars that boy or girl can earn to-
ward the support of the family as OF
greater value than the benefit to the
child of an education as chance ia
take his or her real place in life.
The modern methods of getting
school attendance have gone a long
way toward teaching parents their er
ror in this regard. They are going
farther in this direction every day even
if at times the lessons must be taught
by the court hearings where fines arc
imposed. There is still however q lot
OF boys, ard girls too, in Kenosha who
want to go to school, who are kept out
Of the class rooms ON account of the
narrow vision of parents. These vi
sions may be widened up to the time
the child reaches a certain age by the
activities of the truancy officer. Be
yond that age the child must look tc
healthy public sentiment for his pro
lection. The Importance of school room
training must be taught to the parents
The neglectful parent is today a lot
moro of n menae5 to the community
than the oy who plays hooky. If tn,
bad boy is to be reformed out of ex
istence, then the parent must do hi,
part.
Regular attendance at school is ius-
as necessary for the development o,
the child as regular work at the bencl
IS necessary to the full pay envelope
Educating children is a serious prob
lem today. 1t means a lot to the child
and it means just as much to the futur,
OF the community in which he is t.
live. But to get the greatest good ou
of the education that is offered to him
he must have the sympathy rather thar
the opposition of the parent 1t ma,
demand sacrifices to keep the child il
school, but they are sacrifices whicl
should be worth while to every mothe
and father who is truly interested j,
the best development of his son or hi
daughter.
Now that we have taken "hooxv'
from the vocabulary of the boy, w,
must get to the just as hard a task o,
taking lack of interest," out of tn,
vocabulary Of the man and the woman
The truant officer is every day dom,
his part and his part can be made :
lot easier by the cooperation of tn,
other elements in the case. We mus
show the people the need of education
and by educating the parent to tn,
needs Of the child properly pave tn,
way for the education Of the child.