The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1917-02-16
IN SCHOOL
REPORT Of TRUSTEE
DR.. W. A. BEACH SPOKE OUT
IN THE MEETING
Judge Evans Hughes Declared That
Students Are in Need of Moral Train
ing Rather Than That Which Builds
Muscle and Drawn; Singing of the
Hymns Might Lead to Honesty and
Uprightness; Too Much FOL del RoI"
From Thursdays Daily.

From Thursdays Daily.
DR.. w. A. Beach last night called
the attention of the BOARD of educa-
ton to the large amount of stealing
that had been going on at the high
school. Any time a child got a new
book it was almost sure to be stolen
if not carefully watched.
Mr.. Sperry said it was impossible
to prevent much of this stealing. Not
only books but all sorts of things were
stolen.
DR.. Beach thought it would be well
for the school board to buy books and
loan them out to the children. That
would remove the temptation that a
child might have to steal his school
books.
Mr.. Sperry said the students had
been advised to put their names in
their books in two places. Quite a
number of the students had been
delegated to watch for thieves.
DR.. Beach went on to say that a
great deal might be saved if the
school board did the buying of the
books for the children. Mr.. Sperry
thought 33 to so per cent of the cost
lof the books could thus be saved. Dr..
Beach complained of the numerous
| changes that had been made in text
books, making it impracticable for a
younger child to use the books of an
older child of the same family.
Even Dinners Are Stolen.
Mr.. Jefferson said even dinners
were stolen in the high school. Pupils
who did not want their dinners stolen
had to sit on them. DR.. Beach said the
stolen text books had often been
brought back by the thief at the end
of the term, when the owner could
no longer use them. His own daugh-
ter had found her books in her desk
after they had thus been borrowed
and used a whole term.
1t was suggested that the pupils
should at times be searched. Mr..
Sperry said nee such a search had
been made of every pupil. A lot of
cases of books being exchanged were
found.
Judge Hughes said there ought to
be teaching of morality in the
schools. But if anything of the kind
were done, there was an cutlery that
| ICIlSlOuo tCdClluS Woo SUNS oh III elN
schools. It was suggested that it
would hardly keep the children from
stealing to sing a church hymn in
the morning, but Judge Hughes
thought that would do some good. AS
it was nothing was sung but "fol de
roll" He said the children could not
be blamed for doing things that they
had never been taught not to do.
Sixty per cent of the children never
saw the inside of a church.
Mr.. Sperry stated that in the grade
schools, a teaching manual for in
structions on morality had been hand
ed out to the teachers. They were to
teach that subject twice each week.
Using School For Dances.
President Jefferson said he had been
| asked about using the public schools
for dances. He thought properly
chaperoned dances in the public
schools were all right. Mr.. Sperry said
the high school had just n dance in
the year besides the alumni dance.
DR.. Beach took the view that as
many people thought dancing was
wrong, it would be adding to the diff
iculty of such people managing theil
children, if the public schools should
be granted for use in dancing.
Mr.. Jefferson said the majority OF
the people should rule. The only
people he ever knew who objected tt
dancing were those who could mo-
| learn to dance.
Mr.. Willard took about the same
view as DR.. Beach and said man!
people would feel it very keenly, i
} the use Of the schools were allowed
for dancing. o. G.. Olson and George
wv. Scherer also thought the use o
the schools for dances should no
be allowed. No action taken.
w. D. Willard suggested to thu
board that it would be well to EN-
ploy a director of play and exercise
on the part of the children of thu
schools. superintendent play was thu
most successful play. Judge Hughe:
remarked that a director for mora
!, training as well as physical training
was needed. At length, after consid
cradle discussion the board passed
motion that the superintendent b.
INSTRUCTED to look around and SCI
what could be done in the way of hir
ing a suitable director of physica
!, education. Mr.. Sperry wished to ge
some idea of the salary that would b.
, paid. and was told that it might b.
81, 200 to $1,000.
| Storing Coal Supplies.
/ George w. Scherer called the at
!, tention of the board to the matter o
getting suitable places in or near tn
t various schools for storing coal sup
: plies. He thought the schools ough
/ to have facilities for storing away a
: least a three months supply of Goa.
4 Coal bought in large quantities coul
{ be bought more cheaply. Mr.. Sperr
t thought underground coal bunker
S could easily be constructed in tn
: schools. A motion by Mr.. Willard wa
: passed, %instructing the property an
expense committee to look into thi
: matter and report at the next meet
ing.
The report of Miss Abbie Peters a
truant officer showed that durin
e January 1917 there had been thrice
: cases investigated, ten had been or
@ dered into school, and sixteen visit
: had been made.
AS visiting nurse. Miss Peters re
e ported: Visits to school buildings, 80
g inspection of children for contagior
d and infectious diseases, CLEANLINESS
= and pediculosis. 1926; children e1
amined for physical defects, poor nj
triton, etc., 230; NOTICES sent to pal