USA > Missouri > Jasper County > A history of Jasper County, Missouri, and its people > Part 51
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At that time Joplin did not have a hall large enough to hold the convention. The Club Theatre was being remodeled and an immense tent was ordered from a firm in Kansas City and erected at the corner of Fourth and Pearl, where later the Elks club house was built. This proved to be a most delightful arrangement, for the sides of the big tent were let down and the gentle summer breezes swept over the audi- ence and helped to keep them cool.
The convention was called to order by Hon. T. J. Akins, chairman of the Republican state executive committee, and after Rev. J. B. Welty of the First Presbyterian church, had asked the divine guidance on the convention, Hon. B. F. Russel was announced as temporary chairman. Mayor John C. Trigg extended to the delegates the hospitality of the city and referred feelingly to the fact that, although we might differ in our political views, yet we were all Americans.
After the appointment of the usual committees on credentials, plat- form, etc., Senator J. R. Burton, of Kansas, was called to the stand and made an eloquent address on the principles of Republicanism. Major William Warner, of Kansas City, and later United States Senator, and we might add perhaps as popular a speaker as ever appeared before a political convention, was called to the stand and made one of his char- acteristic speeches that set the audience wild with enthusiasm. Hon. Herbert Hadley, of Kansas City, now governor of the state, was also among the speakers and was loudly applauded.
The convention was in session for two days and during the recess the delegates were shown about the city and through the mines by the
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local reception committee. The Joplin Club, the Elks, the Eagles and Young Men's Christian Association kept open house and entertained with a lavish hand.
DEMOCRATIC STATE CONVENTION, 1904
Two years later the Democratic Sub-National Convention was held in Joplin, June 29-30, 1904, and, like the Republican convention of two years before, brought to the city the Democratic hosts from all over the state. The Democratic was slightly larger than the Republican con- vention, having about 100 more delegates and brought a few more root- ers, for the reason that, as the convention was to select the delegates to the presidential nominating convention, its action in a way helped to mold the destinies of the party at large-that is, as far as Missouri's influence went.
As before, the Joplin Club put itself behind the matter of entertain- ment and appointed a non-political committee of one hundred and fifty to arrange the details of the convention. The committee organized by the selection of Hugh MeIndoo, who had been the secretary of the com- mittee on arrangements for the Republican convention in 1902, as chairman. C. S. Poole was named as vice chairman and Frank L. Yale, secretary. Sub-committees on general arrangements, reception and finance and a bureau of information were appointed and $1,200 raised to take care of the incidential expenses of the meeting.
The convention was held in the Club Theater, which had been en- larged and remodeled. Hon. W. A. Rothwell, chairman of the Demo- cratic state executive committee, called the meeting to order and an- nounced James A. Reed, of Kansas City (now United States Senator). . as the temporary chairman. One of the pleasing features of the open- ing exercises was a splendidly rendered musical number by the Masonic quartette. Congressman John B. Lloyd was selected as permanent chairman. After the organization meeting, and while the committees were in session, the delegates not engaged in committee work, together with a large number of visitors, went to Barbee Park, where a number of addresses were made on the issues of the day. Hon. W. A. Wallace, of Kansas City, and Hon. Champ Clark, now speaker of the House of Representatives, were the principal speakers.
The city was profusely decorated for the occasion and at night, when the delegates mingled on the streets with the great crowd of people who came in from the surrounding camps to see and participate in the ex- citement, the scene of the surging mass of humanity was one long to be remembered.
As at the former convention, the Joplin Club, Elks, Eagles, and Young Men's Christian Association threw open their doors and helped to do the honors. It was really a novel, and likewise a pleasing sight to see men like Hugh McIndoo, John Wise, O. D. Royse, Arthur Spencer and Jack Winters, stalwart Republicans,-marching with the reception committee in the line alongside of old-time Democrats meeting the
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trains, showing the delegates to hotels and about the city to places of interest, and taking the same pride in sustaining the reputation of the "city that Jack built" as they did at their own convention.
The Joplin Democratic convention of 1904 instructed its thirty-six delegates to the national convention to vote for Senator F. M. Cockrell for the presidency.
Other conventions will be spoken of in the text devoted to the lodges and business and social events.
NEWSPAPERS
The history of Joplin during the last decade would not be complete without a mention of its newspapers. In 1901 the Evening News and the Daily Herald were consolidated and the publication has since been issued under the name of Joplin News-Herald.
The Joplin Daily Globe, the founding of which was mentioned in our section of the 'nineties, made rapid strides in the matter of circu- lation and has grown to be one of the great dailies of the southwest. Special mention of these two papers made in Volume II, the historic data being furnished by members of their editorial staffs, and for this reason we omit further comment here, other than to say that the two papers have wielded great influence in the upbuilding of Joplin, each having a very large circulation.
In 1901 a new paper was started, known as the Evening Times, and published by W. G. Hicks until 1911, when he disposed of his interests and retired from the newspaper field. Although the circulation of the Times was not as large as the other papers, it was well edited and con- tained many newsy paragraphs.
In 1911 Gilbert Barbee and Dan F. Dugan, formerly of the Globe Publishing Company, together with T. W. Cunningham, S. H. Clay- comb and others, organized a newspaper corporation and started the Joplin Daily Tribune, the first issue appearing October 14, 1911. L. C. McCarn, one of the original founders of the Globe, became managing editor of the paper and Dr. E. C. H. Squires, formerly city clerk and a writer of ability, telegraphic editor. At this writing the paper has built up a large circulation, having passed the 10.000 mark.
RAILROADS AND NEW UNION DEPOT
During the past ten years two new roads have entered Joplin, to-wit. the Missouri, Kansas & Texas and Missouri & North Arkansas-and the Missouri Pacific has extended its line to Granby and into Arkansas, via Carthage, along the White river. Three of these roads-to-wit, Kansas City Southern, Missouri & North Arkansas and the Santa Fe (which has a road projected into Joplin) joined in the building of a Union station which secured a franchise from the city under the name of the Union Station Company. The new Union depot is built north of Broadway and east of Maine street, on the site where the first smelter was erected in 1871, and it was a queer coincident that almost forty years to a day
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after the smoke began to roll up from the old furnace the first train pulled into the Union station.
Says the Popular Mechanics for January, 1912: A striking example of what may be done with the waste of zinc and lead mines has been demonstrated in the construction of the new union station at Joplin, Missouri, the concrete of which is largely made up of flint and limestone tailings taken from the waste piles of the mines in the district. Of the twenty-two parts in the concrete mixture used in constructing the sta- tion, fifteen parts came from the mines, ten parts being average tailings, and five parts the fine tailings from the sand jigs, called Chitwood sand. Of the remaining seven parts, three were of river sand and four of cement.
The center portion of the station, built in the old Roman type of architecture, is two stories high. The train sheds and platforms cover 25,000 square feet.
The 'Frisco system have let a contract for the building of an eight story depot and office building, at the corner of Sixth and Main, and should no unforeseen obstacle prevent the carrying out of their plans, this great system will also have a passenger station proportionate to the business it transacts and in keeping with Joplin's enterprise and development.
THE HEIM STREET CAR LINE
In 1903 representatives of the Heim interests at Kansas City and F. C. Rollins, of Chanute, Kansas, both asked for a franchise on West Fourth street looking to the building of an electric railway into Kan- sas. Mr. Heim proposed to build a road from Joplin to Pittsburg and to connect and operate it in conjunction with his suburban lines running from Pittsburg to the neighboring mining camps. Mr. Rollins proposed to build from Joplin to Galena and thence west into the oil and gas belt. The people wanted both roads, but as each desired Fourth street for its terminal it was necessary to choose between the two. After much heated discussion in the council and after several largely attended public meet- ings at which the people discussed the two propositions, pro and con, a franchise was granted to the Joplin & Pittsburg Electric Railway and the line was in due time built, the first cars running into Joplin in 1907.
In the franchise granted the Heim line a provision was made for the building of several lines into South Joplin, but owing to an injune- tion gotten out by the Missouri Pacific Railroad prohibiting the electric line from crossing its tracks at Joplin street and Tenth the line has not been extended south as originally intended.
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CHAPTER XLIII
EDUCATIONAL AND RELIGIOUS
MANUAL TRAINING, MUSIC, AND SUMMER NORMAL-INCULCATING LOVE OF THE BEAUTIFUL-SIZE OF JOPLIN DISTRICT AND TEACHING FORCE -COMPULSORY EDUCATION-THE TRUANT SCHOOL-THE PLAY GROUND IDEA-RECENT ADDITIONS TO SCHOOL WORK-VISITORS' DAY -THE HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI-ALUMNI BANQUETS SCHOOL OFFI- CIALS-THE JOPLIN PUBLIC LIBRARY-THE CHURCHES OF JOPLIN- FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH-THREE COLORED CHURCHES BUILT -BILLY SUNDAY-THE BROTHERHOOD MOVEMENT-THE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION-JOPLIN CHURCHES IN BRIEF.
The past ten years of Joplin's school history, if written in full, would make of itself not only a large but an entertaining volume. It would show each year the introduction of new and up-to-date methods of edu- cation and a gradual increase in school population and percentage of at- tendance and an expansion in the area of the school district which, as the city spread out, necessarily took in the former outlying territory. Each of the superintendents gave to the schools some progressive policy and stamped his individuality on the city's educational system.
MANUAL TRAINING, MUSIC AND SUMMER NORMAL
To J. D. Elliff the school system owes the enlargement of the high school course of study, so that it met the requirements of the State Uni- versity for a first class high school; also the designation of Joplin as one of the points for the establishment of an experimental Summer Normal, to articulate with the University. Under Mr. Elliff's administration manual training was introduced in the high school and the government established a Weather Bureau at Joplin and placed it in charge of the science department of the high school.
During W. P. Roberts' term of office, music was introduced into the schools and a supervisor elected to look after this work. The matter of better penmanship was also given especial attention and an expert penman employed to supervise this most important branch of work.
INCULCATING LOVE OF THE BEAUTIFUL
Superintendent Roberts was also a great lover of the beautiful and to the end that the pupils be taught, in a practical way, the love of home and out-of-door beautification, he secured from the school board an
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appropriation to purchase a large quantity of flowers and garden seeds, which were sold to the pupils at cost. The idea proved so popular that the first year of its trial (1904) it was necessary to twice order an addi- tional supply of seeds and, as a result, over six thousand packages were distributed. The effect of this was farreaching in its importance and cannot be overestimated when we think of the joy and the additional beautification which came from the six thousand flower beds which were planted and cared for by the children of the city.
Professor L. J. Hall and Edmund Vert also left their individuality impressed on the school system.
George V. Buchanan, who was chosen superintendent in 1908, has made a strong executive officer and, in addition to introducing many up-to-date methods, has in a most diplomatic manner harmonized all of the different ideas of educational policy and united the several factions who, during 1906-7, created much feeling in public school circles.
Space will not permit a mention of all that we would like to say about the school system of Joplin. We will, however, chronicle a few of the happenings so that the reader may keep in touch with the general character of the work and the school policy.
SIZE OF JOPLIN DISTRICT AND TEACHING FORCE
In 1909 the school district of Chitwood and East Hollow, suburbs of Joplin on the west and a part of which had the year before been taken into the city limits, petitioned the city district to be annexed, and at the election of 1909 was formally annexed, adding approximately five square miles to the area of the district and about 600 to the school population.
The school census of 1911 showed the district to have 9,341 children of school age. The annual revenue derived from taxation and public appropriations is, in round numbers, $175,000. During the year 1910-11 the district employed 172 teachers.
The following table will show the relative importance of the several schools :
School Principal
Enrolment
Alcott-L. G. Knight 462
Byers-Cora McDonald 275
Central-Walter Colley 465
Columbia-Mildred Drye .257
Emerson-H. C. Kilburn 479
Eugene Field-Ida Linton 167
Franklin-W. E. John 462
Garfield-Louise Kirkham .357 High School-F. H. Barbee 707 Irving-C. L. Spaid 465
Jackson-W. A. Nickell 460
Jefferson-Eva Corlett 285
Lafayette G. B. Martin
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School Principal Enrolment
Lincoln (colored)-Chas. Brooks 162
Laurel-Minnetta Sanderson 85
Longfellow-Isaac W. Whaley 291
McKinley-W. O. Burns 310
Parr Hull-May Tyler 105
Washington-Frank Barton
652
COMPULSORY EDUCATION
At the session of the general assembly in 1903 a law was passed mak- ing it obligatory for all pupils over eight and under fourteen to at- tend school-either public or private-at least four months in the year.
The Joplin Board of Education, in 1905, for the purpose of enfore- ing this law, employed a truancy officer and also established a truaney school, to which the habitual truants and unruly pupils were sent. S. S. Nix was the first truant officer and enforced the new law with tact and good judgment. When he found children out of school, on account of not being provided with proper clothing and books, he saw to it that means were provided for the same. He personally visited the parents of children not in school and talked with them, not as an officer of the law come to enforce the mandates of the state, but as a citizen and fel- low townsman interested in the welfare of the boys.
In nearly every instance he secured the cooperation of the parents and during his first year as truancy officer did not make a single arrest for non-compliance with the law. Mr. Nix was elected city assessor in 1907 and was succeeded by O. D. Billick, who served the district faith- fully until 1911, when he retired and was succeeded by S. S. Nix. who was recalled to the position.
THE TRUANT SCHOOL
As an experiment the Board of Education established a Truant School in 1905 and placed it under the supervision of R. C. Burns, one of the best teachers of Joplin. The school was a success, so far as results were concerned, but did not prove popular with the people, and the next year Mr. Burns, having accepted the principalship of the Shreveport (La.) school, resigned his position as principal of the Truant school, and it was not reopened in 1906.
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
During the decade the school district spent $175,000 in school im- provements, among them being the enlargement of the High School in 1906, which doubled its capacity. The building, although well located and excellently appointed, is now crowded and the matter of building & new $100,000 High School building is now being agitated and is among the possibilities of the near future.
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THE PLAY GROUND IDEA
Of recent years the school board and teaching force have encouraged the plan of putting on the play grounds apparatus to help make the recreation hour both pleasant and helpful and at three of the schools, viz., Irving, Jackson and Garfield-the pupils have given highly success- ful entertainments and have raised money and purchased complete equipment for the playground, consisting of swings, horizontal bars, vaulting poles, etc.
RECENT ADDITIONS TO SCHOOL WORK
During the administration of Superintendent Buchanan, among other things the following have been added to the school work and course of study.
The Manual training department has been enlarged by the addition of a domestic science department, and the work has also been extended into the grades.
A department for the teaching of business methods has been added to the high school and has proved very popular with the people and highly satisfactory to the school.
THE CADET SYSTEM
It has always been the policy of Joplin to employ each year a few of the high school graduates as teachers, and (be it said to the credit of the schools) most of them have made good. Superintendent Buchanan introduced the following plan for the better training of high school graduates desiring to become teachers. A dozen high school graduates are chosen each fall, according to their apparent natural ability for teaching. Each is located at one of the larger ward schools for the school year at ten dollars a month. The work of the pupil teacher is of three kinds, teaching classes. observing methods, and tutoring. Each cadet teaches four classes, representing four different grades and as many different branches of study. While she hears her classes in the rooms of the various teachers, she is given entire charge of them for the term and held responsible for their progress. At the beginning of the second term she is given four other classes, thus furnishing prac- tical experience in eight different phases of teaching. In connection with her teaching the principal of the building and the teachers under whom she teaches take special interest in her work and offer helpful suggestions from time to time. For further development as a teacher the pupil teacher spends about one-third of her time each day in the rooms of the various teachers of the building, where she is free to ob- serve the methods used in managing classes, hearing recitations, assign- ing lessons, etc. This gives an excellent opportunity for learning by observation; the safest and surest way of acquiring any art.
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VISITORS' DAY
Visitors' day, which was commenced back in the early 'nineties, has been observed each year during the last decade and the annual occasion brings to the various school buildings hundreds of patrons and has been a source of much good to the schools, for the reason that it has fur- nished the occasion for the teachers and patrons to come in closer touch, and has no doubt created a stronger school sentiment.
While visiting one of the schools in 1903 the author had the pleas- ure of hearing from an old-time Joplin teacher the following, very interesting recital of Joplin's First Visitors' day, and we give it here- First, because of its historic interest, and secondly, because the contrast of the methods pursued at this first public examination which occurred "way back in 'seventy-eight."
During 1878 the pupils in the East Joplin schools did splendid work. The principal, James A. Race, was a scholarly and courteous gentleman and brought the schools up to a high standard of excellence. At the close of the year '78 he hit upon the following plan for Visitors' day and public examination : A committee of twenty-five prominent citizens were appointed to prepare the questions and conduct the examination. T. A. McClellan, Jesse Shortess, F. E. Williams, D. A. Preston and J. W. Henry had charge of the examination in mathematics, and the method pursued by these gentlemen was said to have been the most impartial examination ever given the pupils of the schools. One hundred problems were prepared for the class, which included work in compound num- bers, percentage, common fractions, cube root, etc., extending through the entire year's work. These questions were placed in a box and after having been thoroughly shaken up, each pupil drew from the box five problems and passed to the blackboard and solved them in the presence of the visitors. Out of a class of twenty-three, eighteen solved and ex- plained each of the five problems correctly.
The next afternoon the examination in spelling was had, and was conducted by Jesse Shortess, Alford Gensell, and Mesdames Carl Shep- herd, D. A. Preston and J. H. Maddy. One hundred words were pro- nounced to the class as a written test and of these the per cent made by the room of fifty-one pupils was 97.3.
Sides were then chosen up and an old-fashioned spelling match in- dulged in; words were pronounced in rapid succession for one hour and a half, and when 4 o'clock came, seventeen pupils were still on the floor. During the contest over a thousand words had been pronounced. It will be observed that as there were fifty-one in the room and seven- teen on the floor at the end of the contest, only thirty-four words had been missed (when a word was missed the pupil took his seat). This was certainly a record to be proud of. The examinations continued for a week and the tests in history and algebra, grammar, etc., were made in a manner similar to the above.
Among the boys and girls in the class were Abe Scherl, our wide-
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awake merchant, Mrs. John Dawson, Mrs John Staats (nee Emma Shortess), Mattie Ballard, Emma Gillette (Lichliter) and others.
THE HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI
The following is a list of the High School graduates since 1900. (Mention of former classes was made in a previous chapter :)
1900-Maude Danford, Nettie Thornton, Bithel Cofer, Edith Hall, Walser Yale, Maria Estrada, Alta Sansom, Bert Reeves, Essie For- sythe, Clara Gardner, Maude Board, Omer Malsbury, Fred Swartz, Lillie Littleson, Maude Lancaster, C. C. Spencer, Winnie Cowan and Elmer Garey.
1901-Hazel Reece, Carrie Sutton, Opal Stauffer, Phoebe John, Con- rad Radley, Maggie Murphy, Margaret Bell, Lola Seanor, Edith Dagley, Agnes Regan, Ralph Hollingshead, Victor Short, Edith Allen, Sallie Halyard, Lillian Cook, Chas. Malsbury, Florence King, Alma Nelson, Capitolia Willim, Henry Howe, Esther Boucher and Clark Nichols.
1902-Effie Lutman, Percy Williams, Chas. Robinson, Mabel Squires, Margaret Hood, Mary Barr, Lena Murray, Phil Arnold, Beatrice Gris- com, Bessie Dorsett, Mabel Boucher, Ona Bradley, Echeo Willim, Edna Lett, Leon Coffman, Arthur Roach, Clyde Compton, Ira Brighton, Jauniat King, Pauline Donnan, Laura Wideman, Ethel Card, Effie Owen, Callie Logan, Bertha Rambo, William Leggett and Wallie Hur- witz.
1903-Walter Tousley, Gertrude Spencer, Grace Coulson, C. P. Dyer, Sarah E. Jaccard, Naomi A. Marcum, Blanche Forsythe, Olive Hood, Alva True, Wilber Henrichs, William Regan, Mayme Lowrie, Franklyn Hunt, Fred Briggs, Edna Palmer, Arthur Collins, C. A. Briggs, Viola Sayres, Mamie Vawter, Viola Smoot, Edna Gaither, Mary Regan, Nannie Smith, Mabel Hobson, Annie Louis and Ed Cofer.
1904-Clarence Burgess, Newton Bobbitt, Loyd Bunch, Ray Bond, Thos. Cofer, Wiley Corl, John Cassidy, Arnold Cofer, Howard Doane, Orly Freeman, John Gardner, H. A. Henley, Hoyt Miles, Harold Mills, Chris Price, Chas. Rohrer, Leo Wiler, Callie Arnold, Maude Austine, Lola Belle, Frances Clay, Mary Coles, Leona Campbell, Nellie Delaney, Ella Freeman, Maybell Hickman, Estelline Howell, Marion Hebbard, Mollie Greable, Ive Leach, Belva Looker, Inez Looker, Ethel Gaither, Vera Lydard, Elizabeth Meeker, Cody Marcum, Helen Noble, Alma Putman, Ethel Page, Nola Shockley, Flora Lane, Edith Lanyon, Blanche Milton and Goldie White.
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