The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1919-02-21
COUNTY SCHOOL NOTES

COUNTY SCHOOL NOTES
Mrs. E. J. Whitesell of the Rooster
school writes: "There is one item of
interest of late. A boy of eleven who
is deaf and dumb enrolled several
days ago. He is exceptionally lnteili-
gent and | have great hopes of help
! ing him to learn to read before our
school Closes" Later information is
to the effect that Mrs. Whitesell's eff
forts will assuredly be rewarded with
success.
The following pupils have just been
awarded certificates for five months
of perfect attendance without tardi-
ness: Lowclla and Lester Drier of the
Big River Mills school, and Margaret
and Roy Rickus, Irene and Alberta
Hopkins and Helen Hoehn of the Co
penhagen school. Margaret Rickus
and Irene Hopkins have completed
two years of perfect attendance with
out Hardness and have each received
large and handsome Diploma OF
| Honor.
The Mosteller and Postum Hollow
schools have completed their 1888
terms. Said schools were taught by
Misses Gladys Stroup and Beulah
Moon. Four pupils from the Postum
Hollow school completed the common
school curse, namely: Hazel Wilker-
sn, Jerry Douglas, Elizabeth and Ev-
erett Hamm.
The following circular, recently sent
out by State Superintendent of
Schools Sam A. Baker is of general
interest: "A great deal has been said
in the press and from the platform re-
garding conditions that confront us
Ieducationally and otherwise on account
of the war. Some of these problems
are greatly overdrawn and are not as
serious as they seem on the surface.
Others are serious enough to COM
manj the attention of all thinking
people throughout the State. When
war was declared many young men Of
fered themselves as a sacrifice to their
country. When they left their home
town, the bands played, flags waved,
and men and women all took holiday
to bid farewell to the boys who were
leaving. Many speakers dwelt upon
the service that these young men were
rendering to the country and told
them in glowing terms of the good
things that awaited them on their re-
turn.
Some of those who volunteered fol
, service were high school students
: They are now coming home, having ii
! mind all tho promises that were madc
! to them before they went away. Many
i of them desire to finish their educa
T ton. They have an ambition to go OF
!, through high school. They are larger
: mentally and physically now thar
!, when they went away, and when they
! apply for admission to the high school
: which they were attending when they
, volunteered for service in the army Oh
,, navy, they are asked in many instan
ces ito go way back and sit down
i, with the boys and girls who were one
or two years behind them when they
i went away. These returning soldiers
!. and sailors feel Inundated at having
to take up the work where they lef
,, off.
1t is true our traditions for many
years hold us rigidly to the idea o.
, having so many book units before per
, hitting one to graduate, but the wal
,, has brought about unusual conditions
and unusual methods must be used il
, order to meet the problems of today
Is it better to discourage these boy!
so that they will never complete theil
education, or should we overthrow oul
Traditions and make special concess
ions to enable them to get STARTED
again in the right path educationally
To my mind there is only one way t.
,, answer this question. My suggestion
> and recommendation to school authori
|. ties is that if there are not enough
! elective subjects in the high school fol
, these returned soldiers and sailors tt
make up a program, then special cour
ses should be arranged so that the!
may enter school and enter the clas
: to which they would have belonged hat
= they stayed at home instead of volun
teering for service. Archimedes, tn
mathematician, worked on his circle
and problems while the soldiers of tn,
enemy surrounded the city in which h
: was at work. Soon they entered tn
city and found the house in which Ar
chimedes was at work, but so strong
a ly was he weeded to traditions that al
he could say when the soldiers appear
T ed upon the scene was, ooh, do no
= spoil my circles!"
e In order to do justice to these boy
9 who were willing to make the suprem
: sacrifice, it may be better to spoil cir
cles. AT least no boy should be penal
: lied for joining the colors. II h
would have been in the Senior elias!
had he remained at home, put hir
there now and give him a diplom,
His knowledge of Science, Geograph,
History and even of Mathametics, Oh
tanned in the service, viii counterbal
4 ance the lack of book units necessar
for graduation. The colleges and un
versities will be asked to make Xix
concessions, if these boys apply for &C
mission later on"
j. CLYDE AKERS,