Evening star., 1926-08-15
VIII-Fighting School Regula
tions.

lions.
IN Sentenoher 1919 i,,s, before 6,r.
sixth birthday. Eliza beth enrolled
in a Des Moines public school in
4 the fourth grade. after she had
been subjected to rigid eXamina-
tons by the skeptical principal and
! had high hopes that she was settled
at last. But ii was scarcely six weeks
before another change of residence
seemed advisable. | had been i'll all
during August and specialists had told
me that an operation would be neces
sary. And had been working too
hard. they told me
In the latter part of October the
editor for whom had worked in Waco
wired me TO come to Beaumont. where
, ne had bought Il paper. BY this time
he owned four papers-at Waco. Beau
mont. Port Arthur and Orange.
was offered very good salary as d
sort of assistant editorial director Of
the chain and rs feature reporter on
the Beaumont paper
My heart yearned toward newspa-
per work: telling women how to can
vegetables, make salads and raise
/, babies had. after the excitement of
| newspaper work. grown slightly mo-
notonous. And if was going TO be
among my friends.
accepted the Texas offer and
about the LIST of November arrived
| in Beaumont With my 6.yearold
daughter. AS soon as tried to enter
her in school we ran atoul the TeXa S
law. which sets years as the mini
mum age at which child can enter
school. The school TO which | took
, her uncompromisingl refused to ac-
cept a 6-year- child and scoffed al
the idea that she could he in the
fourth grade. Finally took the case
before the Beaumont board of educa-
tion and so favorable an impression
did Elizabeth make that the trustees
voted to suspend the rules in her ia
vor. \ thorough examination showed
she was ready for high fourth grade
work.
But she did not enter school under
the happiest of auspices. naturally
She was an unwanted child: her class
mates were from to . years older
than she. and the teacher feared
| complications in discipline.
Wins Her Teacher
Her room was crowded-45 pupils
and she certainly had no time to be
| coaXing baby to study. Elizabeth
felt antagonism OH every hand. The
teacher didn't want her, the children
! laughed at her. teased her for being
baby And she did look like a pink
checked infant. visiting an older
brother or sister in the fourth grade
II was only a few weeks. however.
before Elizabeth completely won over
the teacher. Kiss Altee Smith, who
came to see me at the Y. w. {. A.
hotel where Elizabeth and | were
living.
"She doesn't give any trouble at
ALL" Miss Smith told me. her eyes as
fond as Il mothers as they rested on
, Elizabeth, who had climbed into her
lap. And she is leading her class
already. It's good for the others. to
have baby making better grades
than they do. The class average has
been raised at least 25 per cent since
she came.
Isn't she ever naughty" l asked,
my memories of my own school-teach,
ing days fresh in my mind.
Didn't she tell YOU about the time
| scolded her?' Miss Smith asked in
surprise. 'She was Whispering to
the little girl in front of her. and I
raped on the desk. calling out her
name in the same tone OF voice that
/ use toward the other children. She
! looked up. her eyes big with fright:
| then her little face began to pucker
up like a baby's. and before / could
| say anything more she was running
down the aisle toward me, tears roll
| ing down her cheeks. She flung her,
self into my lap. put her arms around
my neck and cried as if her heart
We're broken, The other children
started to giggle, but l shut them
right up.
Il rocked her back and forth in
| my arms, feeling as if I had a baby
of my own at last. and when her
tears had stopped flowing. I kissed
her. told her that she was forgiven
and sent heF back. all smiles. to her