Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 309, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 December 1920 — COUNTY EDUCATIONAL NOTES. [ARTICLE]

COUNTY EDUCATIONAL NOTES.

A very agreeable school entertainment was given at South Meadow in Newton township last Thursday night. Miss Gladys Prouty, the teacher, was able to dovetail a “Better Schools” program with her school Christmas program. Every patron with children represented in the school attended the dual exercises. Ex-Supt. L. H. Hamilton gave a very impressive talk on “The School in a Community.” Trustee Rush gave a few remarks upon “The Kind of School Any Community Should Have.” These talks were supplemented with the Christmas program prepared by the school and made the evening a very pleasant as well as inspiring one to all who were present. The North Marion consolidated schools gave a fine Christmas program in the presence of a full house of patrons last Friday afternoon,. The exercises opened at two o’clock with songs, dialogues and declamations in the primary and intermediate rooms under the directions of Miss Shields and Miss Chamberlain. The entertainment linked patriotism with Christmas greetings in an artistic manner revealing the careful and painstaking work of teachers and pupils. The room was superbly decorated with flags and holiday smybols. After the “little tots” had finished the audience was. invited to change rooms. This room is taught by Miss Oka Pancoast. The most conspicuous singular object in this room was a large, heavily laden, beautifully decorated Christmas tree. The Yule tide greetings appeared in every part of the room revealing the same sort of care in the preparations as appeared in the other one. Songs, declamations, readings, short speeches and a Christmas pantomine preluded the distribution of the presents. Mrs. Messman gave a very appropriate reading wherein she emphasized the Christ in the poor homes as well as the rich. Ex-Supt. I. N. Warren, a patron of North Marion, gave a pleasant, four-minute talk in behalf of the mothers and fathers of the children represented in the school. The pantomine represented the birth of Christ with such reality that the entire audience of children and elders stood entranced in reverential awe for fully five minutes, during which time “Holy Night was sung by phonographic reproduction. The celebration of the birth of Christ 1920 years ago has become a day of rejoicing throughout Christendom. The patrons and school children of Jasper county are rightfully enjoying their share of the Yule tide blessings. But a number of the homes are handicapped this year on account of scarlet fever and diphtheria. In our rightful rejoicing we should not forget those homes in Remington, South Marion, Union and Jordan, Walker township, Union township and all other homes in our own county where sickness is blighting their happiness this year. Our compassion should also extend to those homes in Jasper county where parents are unable to join in these holiday blessings. The kind of Santa Claus that we all adore is the Santa Claus who fills the stockings of all. Practically all of the schools m Jasper county will resume work on Monday, January 3, 1921.