Lincoln High School - Lincolnian Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

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12 T11K LINCOLN! A N teacher. Then is something cheering and animating in the soul »f a teacher when he knows he has the support ami assistance of the parents of his pupils. Let the teacher see that his labors are appreciated, his duties and difficulties properly estimated, his faults fairly considered ami heartily overlooked and lie would he ungrateful indeed should he not devote all his strength and energy to obtain the confidence and answer the expectations of those for whom he labors. Many parents do not feel sufficiently the importance of school. After all that has been said about the necessity of a good education there are many parents who have no adequate notion of its true value. This lack of interest will show itself in many ways to make the work of the teacher more arduous and the result generally is the pupil loses interest in school and finally quits. Interest causes growth and growth is a lundamcntal principal of our being as well as of education. The standard for our schools is higher today than ever before. The states give more to advance the in- terests of their citizens, and in return expect better citizenship. As I have mentioned before, thcer is a want of personal acquaintance be- tween parents and teachers. Teachers spend months and years with youths whose parents they have never known or seen. I ' arents, however, during this time, have formed opinions of the teacher, perhaps expressed them freeh- and yet have never spoken a word with him. All they know is derived through the children which may be right or wrong. The opinion of the child is t«M often the opinion of the parent. In mv opinion, any criticism of the teacher on the part of the child should not be tolerated. Authority and respect should be impressed upon the young as a divine right. It would not be amiss to say, that the teacher and the preacher should u’ork together for the betterment of the race. Loth must get together if our .Sunday schools and young people ' s societies are to have the effect they should upon our hoys and girls. When the church and school meet on a common level the spiritual apathy that now exists will vanish and the moral atmosphere of both will he much higher than at present. No teacher can do the work of the parent. Yet there are many teachers doing more for the child and giving it better service than many parents. liach school should be a “civic center’ ' for its patrons, li necessary it should be open day and night for 12 months in the year. Connected with each school there should be a mothers’ or parents ' league or union. Lectures might be given by our lead- ing educators on “I ionic Life, “Care of Children, Hygiene” and other in- teresting topics whereby many homes might be made better and the care of chi ldren given a deeper consideration, and in many instances the family saved f« r a long life. Our wftmen have many social, literary and art clubs for their, development, hut how many have they whereby the teacher ami parent can meet and discuss the problems of the child? Harrison School deserves much credit for the efforts it has put forth so its teachers and parents can come to- gether and understand each other. Teachers and parents must get ' to- gether to save their children from the throes of the 5 cent picture shows. Their influence is mosN lamaging. The teacher can not remedy and possibly the parent is not responsible for all the defects of the child ' s life, yet the teacher can be of much service to him pointing him to the right path. We hear so much today about “conserva- tion. There must be a conservation of child life to save it from moral de- pravity. The future men and women of the race must be strong physically, strong morally and strong intellectu- ally. So let us continue to pray the prayer of the Apostle, that our children and homes may be saved to future useful ness. BODILY EXERCISE. A man too busy to care for bis health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of bis tools.” For a body to be useful it must first be liealthv ; and there is in device on which its health is more dependent than that of exer- cise.

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11 » 1 ' HE LINCOLNIAN Black sailed out one evening, In •What To call on the fair young miss, days would she And when he reached her residence, Ion »• say if she this. ago (in saw girls like the six- t o-d a y with ♦ steps ties, VOll skirts the know) when clutch e d up ( i rand mamma so tight- Ran went walking ly they Her papa met him at the door, she held a 1 1 He did riot see the miss He’ll not go back there any more. For her skirts so. lo o k t; h is way ? 3l[ went u.uop like ■sun - O THE TEACHER AND THE PARENT Edward B. Thompson, ’01. The Apostle Paul the greatest evangelist of the Christian church, sent forth from his burdened soul to the church he had established at Rome, these words: “Brethren, my heart’s de- sire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they may be saved.” This great evangelist had a passion for the souls of men just as every true teacher has for the moral and intellectual success of his pupils. While it is not my desire to eulo- gize the teaching profession, yet I take the liberty to sav it is a most important one, scarcely taking a second place to that of the ministry. In every age there are men who stand forth in bold relief among their contemporaries, and leave their im- press upon succeeding generations. There are occasions which — though perhaps little known at that time — be- come historic because of their influence upon the future ; there are words of wisdom which the people will not suf- fer to die. Such should be the influence exerted by the teacher upon his pupils. A public school teacher deals direct- ly with all classes — the rich, the poor, the high, the low, a veritable “melting pot” of humanity. — In fact, he reaches a class the church does not. So the church, ‘ school and parent should be inseparable. ( )ur system of education possesses a philanthropic spirit. In many districts the teacher is the missionary carrying enlightenment, religion and morality. It is needless to say that the rela- tion ol teacher and parents should be an amicable one. They should work in harmony with each other, giving to each other strength and power. In our large cities I do not think it neces- sary that a teacher should visit the parents of his pupils. It is a fact that many parents expect too much of the teacher, and do not realize that it is incumbent upon them to visit the teacher in his school room and discuss the success or failure of their children and thereby understanding and assist- ing each other. It is too often the case that parents estimate the teacher ' s services in the same way as the day laborer. Obliga- tion and appreciation — that’s ancient history. Yet there is no estimating the amount of good or evil influence upon the growing mind of the child — extend- ing as it does through childhood, felt in riper years, operating unseen upon the principles and habits of all after life. So, I say, it is impossible to esti- mate in mere dollars and cents, the un- speakable value of a good teacher. No pecuniary emolument can ever cancel the obligation the parent owes the

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Till-: LINCOLNIAN • Addison tells us that l.odily exer- - cise is of two kinds: either that which a man submits to for his livelihood, or that which he undergoes for his pleas lire.” The foremost kind of exercise assumes the term, labor, which ex- tends more widely among the pqoret classes, who must undergo a certain amount of it for a livelihood. Hut this form of exercise, taken s«» irregularly, is not enough — and indeed, those who lead sedentary lives would, lack this necessary element of the maintenance of health, were not a second form oi exercise introduced. This form is chiefly taken for pleasure, but is more effective to our well-being than the former. There is no place better adapted to both these kinds of exercise than the country, where the wide range of work set forth on the farm requires a great deal of labor: while, on the other hand, the vast plains and pure air accommo- date those who are given to that milder form of recreation. If there is any place where man can exist without these frequent agitations, that place is the country, where nature, undis- turbed by man ' s finery, remains in her •earliest stage. The human body is best defined as a living machine, which, like that me- chanical device, if not kept in constant operation, will soon decay. 1 ‘liis liv- ing engine must, then, be frequently moving that it may consume the fuel which is continually being put into it. That exercise is truly essential to the development and preservation of the body, cannot be doubted when we consider how properly equipped t lie- body is for it. Nature has supplied every cord with elasticity and dura- bility, that there might be no hin- drances to perfect relaxation. And then, when we perceive that the greatest things are obtained by the greatest labor, why should we hesi- tate to perform this necessary duty? The dearest wealth is that obtained by physical labor; the greatest honors are those bestowed for sonic heroic act. In short, there is no excellence without great labor; and the law de- manding exercise cannot be disregard- ed or destroyed without destroying na- ture herself. Mattie Johnson, ' 12. 13 MR. D. N. CROSTH WAITE, A. M., Science. SENIORS ' DUTY CALL. An ancient sire, although his head is crowned with the frost of generations, is still young and as fleet as a bird; he has been flying since the beginning of civilization and will continue as long as the world stands. Today he is calling us to take our respective places in the world, that we are no longer children but young men and women and must willingly shift for ourselves and parents who have worked so hard for us. llow patient he must have been to have waited all these years. Little did we think that the time had dawned ; his imperative tones remind us of it and we must fly as birds from their nests to face the cold, unsympathetic world. No, we are not glad to go, but, Duty calls us and we must obey his call. We are pleased that we can take ours with the rest of those, who through patience have toiled up the rocky road to education. Long years ago we thought of this time and have been preparing ever since, but it has slipped upon us so quickly that we arc not yet aware of its presence.