Prize Winning Essays - July 1924

Winners of American Legion Essay Contest

Are Announced – Scranton Republican – July 16, 1924

“Minooka Post Awards Gold Medals to Three Students

Who Submitted Best Compositions on Popular Subjects”

Patrick Diskin, of 2700 Birney avenue, age 13 years, a fifth grade high school student; Frances J. Powell, an eighth grade student of the Woodrow Wilson school, and Robert Coyne, age 11, a fifth grade student, of 2726 Birney avenue, were last night named as winners in the American Legion essay contest conducted in Minooka by Connolly post, No. 568.

Gold medals were awarded the three winners. Diskin’s essay was entitled “The American Legion,” Coyne’s essay was “Personal Hygiene” and Miss Powell’s essay was on “Minooka.”

The three winning essays will be published in The Republican, the first of three: Master Diskin’s work, this morning and the other two on Thursday and Friday mornings, respectively.

Patrick Diskin’s essay, “The American Legion,” follows:

There are always arguments in the world by different people, and taking some of them into consideration, we find “The American Legion” the topic of the day.

The American Legion is the G.A.R. of the great war. It was not organized by any individual for a selfish purpose, nor was it conceived by any group of men. It sprang into being the result of a universal demand among the soldiers and sailors of the great war for an effective nationwide organization, which would enable them not only to perpetuate their relationship formed in service, but also to carry on in time of peace, the defense of America which they had so well begun in time of war.

What the American Legion stands for is the root of the universe, for it is a civilian organization composed of individuals who were civilians before the war, and are now again civilians.

The Legion includes Republicans, Democrats, Catholics and Protestants, whites and blacks, and all who served against Germany joined together for the common purpose of future patriotic, unselfish service to our country. The Legion is unalterably opposed to all irresponsible shiftless and cowardly groups of men who seek by direct anarchistic government based upon that constitution.

The first commander of the American Legion was Colonel Franklin D’Olier of Philadelphia. He is described by his friends as a plain business man. Colonel D’Olier was one of the committee of twenty who started the American Legion in Paris.

There are posts that are carrying on alien popularity. There are posts that have their speakers visit the public schools, not to tell of the Marne and Argonne but to teach the way of devoted and intelligent citizenship. These are only a few of the things that the Legion is doing quietly, but well. Because for every job the American Legion gets an unemployed man, and for every dollar, the Legion’s lawyer helps collect for back pay and allotments, a better citizen is made, and better citizenship is what the American Legion most wants. 

Prize Winning Essay Written on “Minooka” – July 17, 1924

“Girl Awarded One of Legion Post Medals”

“Minooka,” an interesting bit of historical record regarding the down valley town, is the title of an essay by Miss Frances J. Powell, an eighth grade student in Woodrow Wilson school, Minooka, which won one of the three gold medals recently offered by Connolly Post, No. 568, of the American Legion, for essays on topics of popular interest. Essays submitted were divided into three classes according to the ages of the children competing, and on this basis three first prizes were awarded.

Miss Powell’s essay entitled “Minooka” follows:

Minooka is situated in Lackawanna County in the north-eastern part of the Keystone state. It was at first called Glen Newman after the man who surveyed it. Later Captain Carr’s niece renamed it Minooka which was the name of a sweet Indian maiden whom she knew and was very fond of.

Some years ago when our population required it, we were allowed to have a post office. Strange to say we could not call it after our little town for Taylorville, (now known as Taylor,) borrowed our town’s name because there was another post office some where in Pennsylvania called Taylorville. The mail was often lost, so the town west of us borrowed the name Minooka and left us to hunt as best we could for a name suitable for our post office.

The people of the little hamlet had quite a time to find a name. Many names were suggested but at last Father John Loughran came to the rescue and said: “Let us call it Capoose after the great Indian chief.” In a way the people of the town thought as much of the first inhabitants of the place as William Penn did. The Indians are not here but their names will live forever.

The population at the present time is more than thirty-five hundred, made up mostly of working people. It seems to be a community to which people once its inhabitants, become very much attached. Some families now residents of the town can trace their residence here, through their forefathers, back more than seventy-five years.

Minooka was incorporated about 1850. It is situated upon a hill and is about nine-hundred feet above sea level. Its longitude is 75 degrees, 41 feet, 42 inches west while its latitude is 41 degrees, 22 feet, 45 inches north.

It is not an agricultural region, so we have not many crops of hay, wheat, vegetables, etc. People did plant their gardens but that custom has long since been given up because the soil for vegetation has been ruined by coal mining.

The principal industry is mining Anthracite coal and this industry has been carried on for more than fifty years.

Minooka is three miles south of the Electric City and consequently does very little in a business way, although it has many fine stores of every description. I believe we are too near our county seat, Scranton, to advocate “Trade At Home.”

The public highway is terrible, still the people don’t seem to mind the rocking and the jumping of the street cars so long as they can get the needs of life at a bargain.

A few years ago, the State Highway department took over the main street, now Birney avenue, to make it a state road. Two or three times they repaired it temporarily but it has never been completed. Agitation is still going on but we get no further action although we did feel sure the State Highway department would begin this spring and do something for us.

Nevertheless Minooka is progressing a little and even though it has been a town for more than fifty years and never had a bank of any kind, (except culm banks) a number of the men of the town are now forming a savings bank which is to have a capital of $50,000; and is to be known as the “Minooka State Bank.” It is hoped that the town will be as enthused with it and that the boys and girls will deposit some of their spending money in it and at least learn to be thrifty.

The boys of Minooka take naturally to playing America’s greatest game, baseball, and have had many splendid amateur ball players. It is also renowned for its professional ball players.

During the World War Minooka became famous as a “Patriotic Community.” Josephus Daniels, who held the portfolio of Secretary of the Navy in President Wilson’s cabinet is the authority for the statement, that Minooka sent more men to the American army and navy on the basis of its population than any other town in the United States.

During the World War every family in Minooka, who had a boy within the required age limit, had a member of it in the service. Fourteen of the Minooka boys gave up their lives in the defense of our American principals and the cause for which they fought—to make the world safe for Democracy.

Minooka’s school system of long ago was all that was required at that time. The young idea was taught to shoot in different places throughout the town. In what is now known as West Minooka, school was held in a large boarding house that was there. On Birney avenue, where Eagen’s hardware store is located was another place until finally a little white school overlooking Taylorville was built, which still stands and is now known as our pastor’s gargage.

Among the first teachers were Mr. Hopkins, A. F. O’Boyle, the late Professor Thomas P. Joyce, and Miss Mary A. Gannon, while the southern end of the two was taught by Patrick Kane, Miss Mary A. Morrow, and P. C. Connolly.

As Minooka grew, so did the school system until at the present time we have ______ containing nine rooms, and in a modern school building overlooking Taylor which fourteen teachers have charge of about seven hundred children.

Suffice to say that the teachers and building will compare favorably with the teachers and buildings throughout our great commonwealth. 

Legion Post Medal Goes to Robert Coyne – July 18, 1924

“Boy Wins One of Three Prizes in Essay Contest”

A short paper on “Personal Hygiene” was the winning contribution to the essay contest of Connolly Post, No. 568, of Minooka, by eleven-year-old Robert Coyne, a fifth grade student in the schools of Minooka, who lives at 2726 Birney avenue. The contest was divided into three divisions according to the ages of the children competing, and was on subjects of popular interest. Master Coyne took first place in his group.

Master Coyne’s essay on “Personal Hygiene” follows:

Personal hygiene, or the proper care of the body to keep it clean, healthy, and strong, is of very great importance. Many things which make people happy can be bought with money but good healthy, one of the greatest gifts or blessings that God can give us, cannot be bought with riches.

Many persons who are ill would give all they own to gain once more the good health which is enjoyed by the poorest persons who take proper care of their bodies day by day. How long a person lives depends a great deal on the care he takes of his body. In this country the average length of life has been increased from thirty-five to forty-five years. The credit for this is largely due to the doctors, nurses, boards of health, insurance companies, and others who have given their time and money for the welfare of others. A great number of people are sick because they have some disease or ailment which is hard to cure.

The study that tells us how to keep well and keep our bodies in good working order is called hygiene. We come in touch with others every day in school, on the street, in church, on the street car. Those who have colds or any disease which can be spread by germs should be careful when they cough or sneeze. We should try to form habits when we are children that will make us strong, healthy and happy. A few simple rules that can easily be followed are:

(1)               Take a full bath oftener than once a week.

(2)               Brush the teeth at least once a day.

(3)               Sleep long hours with windows open.

(4)               Drink as much milk as possible but no tea or coffee.

(5)               Drink about four glasses of water a day.

(6)               Eat some fruit or vegetable every day.

(7)               Play part of every day out of doors.

(8)               A bowel movement every morning.

Keep thinking of healthy living rather than about disease. Besides a regular bath, and clean clothing, we should keep the hands, nails, face, teeth, ears and nose clean.

Keeping the body in good working order gives strength for work and the proper kind of sports and exercise. So let us practice the rules for healthy living.