Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 December 1907 — THE BELL NOW DOING BUSINESS [ARTICLE]

THE BELL NOW DOING BUSINESS

The cutting of the bell rope and “swiping” of the clapper to the school bell last week and the consequent discommoding of the schools by reason of not being able to ring the bell, reached a climax Monday when Ernest Gowland and Edgar Duvall, two high school students, were arrested for the offense and were arranged before Squire Irwin, where they entered pleas of guilty and were fined $2 each and costs, $lO 60 in all. This is the first time these boys had been in any such difficulty and as it is always the parents who must suffer most, in a financial way at least from arrests in such cases, it might have been better to have first gone to their parents with the matter before taking extreme measures. We believe it is the earnest desire of all parents who take any interest in their children to have them behave themselves and obey the rules of their schools, but no parent can tell at what moment something of this kind will come home to themselves through some thoughtless act of their own boy. As neither of these boys had ever been mixed up in the malicious destruction of school property before—such as at frequent times has occurred here —we believe it would have been better in this instance to have shown a little leniency and let the parents, have dealt with the boys, which no one knowing John Duvall or Henry Gowland doubts they would have done. However, Supt. Warren has shown a disposition to frown on most of the bad customs whioh he found on taking charge of our schools, and aside from this little difficulty the schools were never running smoother than at present. He should be supported by every good citisen in his efforts to bring about a better condition of affairs in our schools, even though it became, in his opinion, necessary to take drastic measures and make an example of the boys. The bell is in ship-shape once more and the lesson will not be lost on the high school boys.