The Glenwood post., 1923-10-04


"Well," said Con. you've done well
to hold your own"
"1n all the years I attended this
school," Jim went on, 81 never did
bit of work in school which was
economically useful. No other pupil
ever did any real work of the sort
farmers boys and girls should do. We
copied city schoolS-and the schools
we copied are poor schools. We made
bad copies Of them, too. If any of you
three men were making a fight for
what the Country Life commission
called a new kind of rural school, I'd
say fight. But you aren't. You're just
making Individual fights for your fa-
vorite teachers"
Jim Irwin made a somewhat lengthy
speech after the awkwardness wore
off. He adjured Bronson, Bonner and
Peterson to study his plan of a new
kind of country school-in which the
work of the school should be CORE
lated with the life of the home and
the farm-a school which would be
in the highest degree cultural by be-
ing consciously useful and obviously
practical.
Sharp spats of applause from the
useless hands of Newton Bronson
gave the final touch of absurGity to a
situation which Jim had felt to be
ridiculous all through Had it not
been for Jennie Woodruff's "Humphl"
stinglng him, had it not been for the
absurd notion that perhaps, after they
had heard his speech, they would
place him in charge of the school, and
that he might be able to do something
really important in it, he would not
have been there. As he sat down, he
knew himself dreamer. The nod,iing
board of directors, the secretary,
actually snoring, the bored audience
restored the field-hand to sense of
his proper place.
1--WE have had the privilege of lis
t'nin'," said Con Bonner, rising, 'to a
great speech, Mr.. Prisidint. Maxim
good spache is one thing, and teach
ing good school is another, but in or
der to bring this matter before the
board, ! nominate Mr.. James E. Irwin,
the Boy Orator of the Woodruff dis,
trlct. and the new white hope, FIR the
job of teacher of this school, and |
move that when he shall have received
a majority of the votes of this board,
the secretary and prisidint be in
sthructed to enter into n contract with
him f'r the comm YEAR
The president followed usage when
he said: IF there's no objection, it
will be so ordered. Prepare the bal
lots for vote on the election of teach
err Mr.. Secretary"
There was no surprise in view of
the nomination of Jim Irwin by the
blarneying Bonner when the Secretary
smoothed out the first ballot, and
read: james L. Irwin, one" But
when the next slip came forth, James
E. Irwin, two," the board of directors
of the Woodruff Independent district
were stunned at the slowly dawning
knowledge that they had made an
election! Before they had rallied, the
secretary drew from the box the third
and last ballot, and read, James E.
Irwin, three"
President Bronson choked as he an
nounced the result-choked and STAN
mered, and made very hard weather
of it, but he went through with the
motion, as we all run in our grooves.
1.-THE ballot having shown the unani-
nous election of james Il. Irwin, l de-
clare him elected"
He dropped into his chair, while the
secretary, a very methodlcal man,
D. to
duly drawn up save the name and sig
nature. This he calmly filled out, and
passed over to the president, pointing
to the dotted line. Mr.. Bronson would
have signed his own death-warrant ut
that moment, not to mention n per-
fectly legal document, and signed
with Peterson and Bonner looking on
stonlly The secretary signed and
showed the contract over to Jim Ir-
win.
"Sign there" he said
Jim looked 1t over, saw the other
signatures. and felt an impulse to
dodge the whole thing. Then he
thought of Jennie Woodruff-s
"Humph n-and he signed
move we ADJOURN, said Peterson.
NO bjection It's SO ordered !" said
Mr.. Bronson.
The secretary and Jim went out,
while the directors waited.
"What the Billy began Bonner.
and finished lamelyi "What for did
you vote for the dub, Ez?'
'I voted for him." replied Bronson,
because he fought for my boy this
afternoon. l didn't want It stuck into
him too hard. l wanted him to have
one vote"
AN wpnted him to have wan vote,
too" said Bonner. II thought mesilf
the only dang fool on the board-an'
he made spache that Armed wan
vote-but FIR the love of hlvin, that
dub fr teacher! What come over
you, Haakon-you voted f'r him, too |"