Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-08-20
NEW HIGH SCHOOL OFFICIAL COMES TO
ROCK ISLAND TO ASSUME DUTIES LEFT
BY A. J. BURTON, NOW IN DIES MONIES

Arnold Lau, the new principal of
the Rock Island high school, ar
rived yesterday afternoon and be-
gan his work this morning.
Mr.. Lau comes highly recon-
mended both by associate teachers
and cOworkers. He has been for the
last year attending the University
of Chicago. Previous to this time
he held the position of assistant
principal in the Wichita high
school, in which place he had been
head of the social science depart
ment since 1910. Mr.. Lau began his
teaching in the eighth. and ninth
grades at Sparta, Wis, where he
taught history and English. He
later took up the study of law at
the University of Wisconsin. He
practiced law for year after his
graduation, but returned to teach
ing in 1907 as principal of high
school at Union Grove, Wis. The
next two years he was principal OF
Stevens Point, Wis, high school
from where he went to Wichita.
Mr.. Lau in an interview in con-
uection with his work here, said:
1T is with a great deal OF pleas
ure that I come to Rock Island as
high school principal to dc my bit
in helping administer the educa-
tional system. The loyalty Of Rock
Island citizens to its institutions
and school authorities gives me the
confidence and assurance necessary
to take up the work with a spirit
and determination to do all in my
power to maintain the efficiency OF
the Rock Island high school, ac-
cording to the standard set under
the leadership of uperintendenr
Fisher and my predecessor, Mr..
Burton.
"A word regarding the national
interests and education. In view
Of the nation wide campaign urging
boys apd young men to continue
their education, it is the duty Of
every citizen genuinely interested
IL the future as well as the present
welfare of the country, to join the
federal and state authorities in this
effort to keep the boys in school.
"a Bulgarian in an interview
with a member of the University OF
Chicago faculty, stated that in the
Balkan states all educational Ia
cilities, especially high school and
college. had been suspended since
the war began. He said that he
shuddered to think of the time when
affairs would have to be in the con-
troll of these unframed and unedu-
Gated masses. And whereas we
have probably no occasion for such
extreme alarm, yet IL is a well
known fact that after the war,
more than ever will there be need
for trained, broadly educated lead
ers and citizens in economic, social
and political life.
1T is somewhat difficult to urge
bows to return TO school when such
return may involve depriving an es-
sential war industry of part of its
labor force. However, since the
federal and military authorities,
from President Wilson down, are
emphatically urging such return,
we cannot do otherwise than join
in that plea, trusting that the same
authorities will succeed in keeping
the needed labor forces intact by
employing older men.
in case a return TO school should
be impossible, let US urge that
those so situated do not fail to con-
tinue their studies in the evening
schools.
ITO those IS years old. I wish TO
say, continue your education. When
the government needs you it will
call you. In the meantime you viii
be best demonstrating your patri-
otlsm by getting all the training