The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-12-10
ACTION ON LAST EVENING
MEETING HELD AT WHICH
MATTER IS DISCUSSED
Educational Facilities In Man
kato Received the Needed
Consideration

of the board of education looking to
/ ward more and better school build
! ings in Mankato.
The meeting was held in the audi
! forum of the Union building.
| Charles r. Butler, who presided al
| the meeting, announced the numbers
on the program, and introduced the
! speakers of the evening. The first
event on the program last night was
the singing of America by the. entire
| audience This was followed by a
number of well rendered vocal selec-
tons by a chorus made up of: Guy
Butts, Edward P. Kelley, Miss Nancy
Williams, Mrs. F. X. Meagher, Miss
Maud Barnes, DR.. Hiram Lloyd, and
Joseph Kendall led by Miss Cornelia
Mansfield.
Students Alive to Needs.
| In opening the meeting Mr.. Butler
| said that there was little explana-
ton necessary. Some time ago he
said, one of the steps of the egecu
| tive committee of the Mankato Civic
send out QUESTIONABLE to the stu
dents in the Mankato high school
| One of the questions asked was:
what in your opinion is the mat
| ter of greatest Importance the Civic
| and Commerce association should
take up first to assist you in pre-
| pairing for your life work"
Other questions were asked in re-
! gard to what Is most necessary for
| the development of Mankato, etc. The
| replies to these questions showed that
| the students of Mankato are alive to
| the needs of the community. Some
suggested a large play grounds; a
| lagoon in the park; more factories
! higher wages; the getting rid of the
pool halls; complete change in the
! city administration; and many other
| suggestions, but the bulk concentrat-
! ed on two subjects, the need of a
Young Women's Christian ,associa-
! flor and the need of better school
buildings, and particularly a better
| equipped high school building. Be-
| l;eving that the students who are now
actually IN the schools are IN q posi-
/ l||as 8 81 q
/ schools, the Civic and Commerce Ss.
ISOLATION decided to make better
school buildings special order Of
business.
r C. Puckett introduced.
r. C. Pickett, principal of the higf
school, was the next speaker of the
evening. He spoke on the needs iot
the high school, and illustrated his
talk with number OF lantern slides
/ One OF the surprising facts brought
| out in Professor Pucketts talk was
that there are $50 students il the 10
cal high school with a seating capa
| city of 214 seats. He stated that by
| putting four in seat which is impos-
| sible, and seating some of the boy
and girls in the windows it might b
| possible to get along. The speaker
/ ooi1 hot
| courses which have to be left out o.
the high school, for lack of ro,m
| teach them properly. Some of these
courses, such as agriculture is mo-
| taught, ard in the face Of this fact
| people wonder WHY the boys and girl
| leave the farm. The lack of teaching
| this subject. he stated is not by an
means helping the situation 'W
| should have sure enough real live
COW, pigs, ETC.. and learn how to care
for them. These are some of the
things which should be included il,
the high school agricultural course,
and the state will pay two thirds OF
the cost of the same"
| Professor Pickett said that PRINTING
! is not taught. in the high school, al
| though the boys and girls get out
| one of the most creditable school
| publications in the state. The ex-
| pense of $500 year for printing this
/ paper could be saved by having the
boys and girls do the printing work
There should also be an art course
At the present time there is but one
teacher available for part time. In
a school as large as the local high
school, Mr.. Pickett said that at leass
two or three teachers should be EN-
| ployed. Other schools are paying a
great deal of attention to the subject
| Of art.
! Need of Machine Shop.
Mr.. Pickett said that there is a
great need of properly equipped
| machine shop, where the boys may be
| taught the rudiments at least, of me-
chanics, SO that they will know a
machine when they see it. Under the
head Of Dlanual training for the boys
| was suggested the knowledge of mix
ing and handling cement; automobile
engineering; foundry work, and wood
work. In the latter there Is a need
| of at least twenty wood iathes. The
| lack Of all these facilities for aiding
| the boys and girls is not the fault OF
] the board of education, but is due
to lack of space in which to teach the
subjects
Speaking of the domestic depart
ment, Professor Pickett said that II
| Is Impossible TO teach household man
| agement with the present equipment
| How can you teach girl how to
manage and care for a real modern
| kitchen when there Is no such thing
available in the SCHOOL," This he
said was also true of the training
girls how to care for dining room
| and bed room. These and modern
| lunch room are things which should
be provided for IL the young ladies
to be taught intelligently how to
| mage their own future homes.
Physical exercise Is an absolute
necessity. Mr.. Pickett says, and with
that idea in mind he recommended
| large play grounds and large and
/ roomy gymnasiums in connection with
| large swimming pools. where the boys
and girls would have to qualify as
swimmers before graduation Ger
fifty boys at the present time ride
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