The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1922-03-24

tied territory of Oklahoma, it was a
well-known fact among the primeval
Americans that there was but one
safe place in this section Of the coun-
try in which to leave their squaws and
papooses when the "big winds came"
That was in a certain little bend of
the North Canadian River where the
fertile lands were sheltered by the
handiwork of nature from the ravages
of the wind.
Now, after decades have passed, it
remained for three foreign judges
to find that Shawnee, nesting snugly
in this self-same bend of the Cana
dian, is the safest place in the state
in which to rear a family. BY max
ing this finding the arbiters have seen
fit to award to Shawnee the $4,000
prize offered by the Shawnee Rotary
Club proclaiming that she is the best
city of 10000 population in the state
in which to rea children.
In January, 1920, DR.. William A,
McKeever. of the extension depart
ment of Kansas University, visited
Shawnee and spoke to the Shawnee
Rotary Club on the life of an ideal
city. "That City is Shawnee" the
Rotarians proclaimed, and with their
proclamation offered a cash prize of
$500 to. any city Of the 10000 popu-
lation class in the state which could
show to disinterested judges that il
had a right to be classed higher than
Shawnee in the list of better cities.
With a whirl the contest was start
ed and before a month passed, thirty
nine of Oklahoma's choicest cities be-
came involved in the contest. The
leading men in each community put
their best into the campaign to show
that she was not the leader of the
states cities.
The better city movement was orig
mated in the mind of DR.. Mckever
three years ago and tried out in the
state of Kansas. There it worked like
a charm and proved a great incentive
in cleaning up and making possible
a wholesome atmosphere for the
growing generation in the Kansas
cities. The plan vas brought to Ok
lahoma, and Shawnee, the first city
in which it was presented, hastily
adopted it and rushed it to a success
full completion.
Behind every great movement at
last lies a man or a group of men.
The city of Shawnee has never been
lacking in men since it's foundation.
In fact, Shawnee is Shawnee because
of the will of men. Nature and topo-
graphy made up their mind to put
Shawne in the center of the country,
A few red-blooded men determined
to do likewise. The same mind has
run through the building of Shawnee
and the plotting of her campaign ir
the better cities contest until she has
been acclaimed the winner.
While Shawnee could have been
good railroad city, since the Rock Is.
land and Santa Fe both have immense
shops here and the Katy has placed
many men to work in and out of the
city; while it could have rested it's
claim for a good city on it's being the
center of M of the richest agricul-
tural districts in the state, still the
citizenship aimed at something higher
than mere commercialism. So, from
the very first, deep and broad foun
dations were laid for a clean and loft,
civic life through the schools, cul
tured homes and righteous govern
ment.
This city was one of the first il
the state to build a genuine and viril,
school system, it's high school building
being n of the pioneers of the $3.50,
900 construction cost in the South
west. From this start, the school sys
TEN here, the main point according t.
the judges of the contest that Shaw
nee led the other cities in, has grow
until today Shawnee possesses a schoo
plant worth more than a million dol
lars with a faculty of lis teachers an,
an annual enrolment of 1920.
The school system here is bull
around ten main points. They are:
/. A system of health and physica
training measures and program un
der school direction.
2. Management of the play an,
recreation periods of school and plan
for making athletics a vital part o
the whole school program.
3. Efforts to regulate home stud,
and school work by means of house
schedule arrangements, i. e. hon,
study. Monday evening to Thurs
day, inclusive.
4. A plan of regular weekly schoo
managed social affairs and l~iterar.
societies, dramatics and musical club
and the like.
0. The use of the regular asembl,
periods for creating school sentimen
and furthering programs for schoo
betterment.
6. Plans for general directing o
scouting (Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts
Campfire Girls, i. e. a faculty com
missioner and Campfire director.
Z. Instruction in soil culture, nor
NAL training, household econom,
thrift, saving, home industry, schoo
and home gardening and the like.
8. Measures for preventing pupil
from using tobacco, attending quest
ionable pleasure resorts, from gamb
ling and similar excesses.
8. Active parent-teacher a~ssocia
tons or the equivalent with free mem
berShiD and regular omen discussion n