The Clio messenger., 1921-07-14
THE SCHOOL MEETING


Monday evening was quite literally
attended and much interest was
manifested in all of the proceeding.
Among those in attendance the ladies
numbered easily half and demonstrat-
ed that they were quite as well post.
ed as the men. The first order of
minutes of the preceding annual
meeting and the reports of the secre-
tary and treasurer, all OF which was,
on motion, approved and adopted.
The auditing committee presented a
report approving the records of the
secretary and treasurer and this also
was approved. A motion was made
and adopted that the School Board
be authorized to use 5000 for the
payment of their salaries for the
ensuing year. This is the same ap-
preparation that was made last year
and certainly appears very reason
able. 1t was voted to raise $4,000 by
taxation for the general fund of the
district, the same amount as last
year. The next order of business
was the election of two trustees to
take the places of Fred Chappell. re-
signed. and Austin Cummings, whose
term of office expired. For the short
term Fred Miller was elected and for
the full term George Lacure. We
want to say in all sincerity for the
retiring mebers that they have
given the district faithful, efficient
and disinterested service and that
they are entitled to the thanks of
their fellow townsmen. We likewise
feel justified in saying that in our
estimation their successors are well
qualified for the Office to which they
have been elected and we expect the
district to receive good results from
their election. With the Board as
at present organized, and however
organized in the future, residents of
the district should take the pains to
become fully informed before find
ing fault. The business of running
the schools is complex and often
perplexing and everyone connected
with them is entitled to sympathetic
support rather than i'll founded criti-
cism. Where so many people are
concerned in an undertaking as is
necessary in the case of the public
schools it is impossible that every
thing should be exactly satisfactory.
In fact, any sort of undertaking,
public or private, is very seldom that
way for any considerable period of
time. Consequently it is matter
of common sense to be justly con-
siderate and to measure results by
averages, although it is equally sensi-
BILE to insist upon high averages. The
work done in school is the most inn
portant the individual ever does, the
time for doing it is limited. and there
fore it should be well directed and
efficient in the highest possible de-
gree. Ore of the ladies present di.
rected attention to a section of the
school law which provides that nc
township officer shall serve as a men,
| Der of a school board, and that one
such officer was serving on the Clio
Board. AS this law is contingent
| upon the way a district is organized
and as the member in question was
elected before the law was passed, its
application in the present case is
questionable and will be passed upon
| by competent legal authority. A
resolution was also offered by one OF
the ladies and unanimously adopted
that the school board take all neces-
sary steps to stop the practice OF
hazing, as it has existed for several
years past, particularly for the past
two years. We think this action high
ly commendable and trust that il
may be put into practical effect. II
is certainly excusable for the boys
and girls of the higher classes to in
dulge in little harmless fun, but
to compel their schoolmates to walk
for miles along country roads in the
darkness, to toss them into the air
form blankets and to throw them in
to the water, endangering their lives
and entailing illness, passes the limits
of fun and become real menace
Students Of a high school are not
collegians and should recall that even
the best colleges have long since
abandoned hazing. For the COM
munity to tolerate absues 0f this
kind is to encourage children in that
spirit of violence and indifference to
the rights of others which is already
too prevalent and which constitutes
one Of the real dangers of our country
to-day. We do not expect that boys
and girls are going to think and act
like old men and old women. but we