APT Pg. 4 Sept 1911

American Primary Teacher, September 1911, pages 4–6. We've got some ads, a poem, and one little blip.

American Primary Teacher, September 1911, Page 4

Apologies for not posting for what seems like ever. Funny how when you set your mind to something, the universe says, “Uh, no, can I see you over here a second?” Like, oh, I don’t know, let’s replace the entire bathroom tub and shower due to an unexpected hole, and then let’s replace the entire outer shell of the chimney due to unforeseen (or just simply not seen) circumstances. Life is fun!

A Page of Ads

To begin, above ☝🏻 we simply have a page full of ads. I didn’t type them out, and I’m hoping they zoom in well enough for you to see what you’d like to read. I don’t know what it is about vintage ads, but for me, I really enjoy them. I like the simple layout, and they generally say what they need to say without a bunch of fluff.

If you are one for art, I took a minute to look up Mr. Eric Pape. He’s still very much on the scene, it appears. Here we have a portrait of him alongside one of his drawings. And a Dr. Gregory Conn has quite thoughtfully put together this book full of many of Mr. Pape’s works.¹

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Laugh, Little Children.

Poem “Laugh, Little Children”, shared by the Chicago Evening Post, American Primary Teacher, September 1911, Page 6

Laugh, little children, laugh and sing,
And just be glad for everything;
Be glad for morning and for night,
For sun and stars that laugh with light,
For trees that chuckle in the breeze,
For singing birds and humming bees —
Be one with them and laugh along,
And weave your gladness in your song.

Let nothing but the twinkle-tears
Come to your eyes these happy years,
When you are free of task and toil
And all the frets that come to spoil
The hours of folks whose feet have paced
The road along which you must haste —
Laugh, little children, for it drives
The shadow out of other lives.

Go romping care free as you will
Across the meadow, up the hill,
And shout your message far away
For all the world to join your play.
This is the time for laughter; now,
When time has not set on your brow
The finger prints that come with care
And leave abiding wrinkles there.

Laugh, little children, laugh and sing
And coax the joy from everything;
Take gladness at its fullest worth
And make each hour an hour of mirth,
So that when on the downward slope
Of life the radiant sky of hope
Will blend above you all the way
And make you happy, as to-day.

—Chicago Evening Post.

My own girls, taken June 5, 2009.

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“A School Girl’s Creed.”

Found on Page 6 of the Sept 1911 edition of American Primary Teacher

I believe in absolute truthfulness, the first essential characteristic in all truly great men and women.
I believe in obedience, not only to the commands of the teachers, but to the unwritten laws of what is right.
I believe in the fellowship of the student body, the perfect harmony and understanding between instructors and pupils which insure a lasting friendship.
I believe in true sportmanship, a fair deal, and a square deal in athletics as well as in the daily routine of school life.
I believe in laughter and light-heartedness in the schoolroom, so that it may not seem to be a place to be dreaded, but rather a place of happiness.
I believe in scholarship, that the boys and girls who are good scholars, whether they are born scholars, achieve scholarship, or have scholarship thrust upon them, are later the men and women who make names for themselves, and who successfully fight the battle of life.

—BY ELEANOR HATCH, Arlington, Mass., High School, Class of 1912.

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

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And lastly…

I’m just going to set this down right here, and you can leave us a comment or post a thread if you might have something to say about it.

Safe to assume, I think, that this might be the President Benjamin Ide Wheeler in question. As I’m not of the mind, currently speaking, to get into the whole idea of men and women and mothers and fathers raising children, I’ll leave it to y’all, if you should like to make a remark. 😅

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Thanks so much for being here!

You are appreciated.

God bless.

1. It’s stumbling across nuggets like this that make doing this whole publication worthwhile for me. 😊