"COLUMN ONE"
By Mary Mayo, Editor

Last week an article appeared in the Bixby Bulletin written by someone who is obviously an old-timer in the area and who writes with the gusto of one deriving a genuine wallop from his recollections. His writing was laced with enough local color and salty phraseology to throw down the glove to some of the better known provincial columnists on the state's big-town papers.

Trouble is, the article carried no by-line, which is a real shame considering the scarcity of natural-born story tellers with that certain translucent enthusiasm it takes to hold a modern audience with anecdotes of the past.

Speaking of neglected writers, the article on Lionism in last week's Journal was written by John C. "Pete" Hughes. The fact he was not properly indentified came about because he, in his modesty, failed to sign his name to it and I, in my usual haphazard manner, failed to write it in before passing it on to Marie Cunningham.

For some reason, those people who put the paper through its final paces still haven't developed the knack of reading my mind, so Pete's article went unclaimed.

Pete is another writer who can flip a well-seasoned phrase with the best of 'em. His widly-read Lion's Club bulletin "A Lion or Two" has gleaned a nice collection of compliments for him, I hear, and now that he is Deputy District Governor in the Club and ranges farther afield than before, it will no doubt contain even broader observations and rate even more praise from his reading public.

A visit to the schoolhouse yesterday proved that Spring has been receiving a great, big unrestrained welcome from that populous corner of town.

All of the classrooms are bright with gay offerings and, since I was on a mission to Mrs. Eliza McDonald's third grade room, I had the perfect excuse to survey and enjoy the cheerful atmosphere to my heart's content.

No danger of any child's ever becoming bored and disinterested in those surroundings! The entire room is a panorama of frolicsome lambs, good-natured ducks and artistic reminders of Easter's nearness.

The housework involved in keeping up to standard in the modern schoolroom is a tremendous chore. Just as we mothers greet our little Johnny or Mary with or without enthusiasm for what is left of the day, the teacher's housekeeping job on the classroom begins.

Along with the task of coordinating the room's decor with the general study plan presently in use, the teacher faces the need for novel ideas and themes to tickle the fancy of the children while subtly hewing to what the study topic will be about within the next day or so.

Besides being artist, interior decorator, carpenter and general stagehand, she is still the Teacher, which sets her in a special category by both her pupils and their parents and implies an endless list of responsibilities and more work of another sort. No wonder few of us ordinary mothers envy the teacher of our children!

Miss Mary Stiles, the High School Home Ec teacher, passed along the story of the trip to Oklahoma City Saturday that she and several members of the F.H.A. and their guests enjoyed . . . althought it must have seemed for a little while that "enjoyed" was hardly the word to use.

About 16 miles this side of Stroud the school bus they were using for the trip began to sputter and complain and Mr. Engle, who was driving, pulled off the Turnpike to reconnoiter. One of the girls spied thin wisps of smoke spiraling through the floorboards which led to a general and immediate exodus.

Everyone was quite orderly though, Miss Stiles stressed, and they must have been for a fact because in spite of the spike heels worn by all, not a single heel was broken.

Mr. Engle, as the only man present among the 25 more-or-less helpless females, naturally evolved as captain of the situation and instructed his charges to stay right there while he went for help.

The helpless (more-or-less) group recognized this as calm, cool, constructive thinking and really meant to carry out his orders to the letter but no sooner had Mr. Engle left than the Vinita Junior High School bus loped along with a number of vacant seats and an invitation to the cast-aways to come aboard.

That's why there were as many Jenks delegates aboard the Vinita bus as Vinitians when it arrived in Oklahoma City. And everything ended beautifully because by the end of the program, Mr. Engle had another Jenks bus on hand to bring the group back home which was pretty fast work.

And Miss Stiles and the F.H.A. Clubs wants Mr. Engle and the Vinita Junior High School to know they really do appreciate everyone's courtesy and extra efforts.