Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-10-02
FIVE POINTS SCHOOL.
ORIGINALLY THE PUPILS WE'RE RAG
GED ANO DIRTY STREET ARABS.

( ORIGINALLY THE PUPILS WERE RAG
GEo ANo DIRTY STREET ARABS.
Rudimentary Training in the Infant
Glass Roum-Cooking and Sewing
Taught-The school In CaIisthenie EK-
ercIses-The Noon Hour.
The Five Points mission school reopened
the other day for another years work 1t
numbers oyer 80 children, nearly all under
/ ~ years Of age 1t occupies the building
known as the Old Bowery, I'll Park street, at
/ the Five Points The srhOOl is one Of the adj
mirable works of the Ladies Home Mission
ary society of the Protestant Episcopal
churGhs=, Of New York and Brooklyn.
/ This year large per cent. Of the children
are Italians ami many Of tho Others are Polish
/ Jows They come from the most destitute
/ families and would have no training what
/ ever, but would bs allowed To run the streets
tho entro time, if it wero not for this school;
| for their parents are not able to clOthe them
sufficiently To send them to public school
| But tho mission school clothes them free Of
charge. and more than that. it gives them
| every day a substantial dinner in the bar
! gain.
Originally they werO the ragged and dirty
aih that mako tho Bowery, Mulberry, Baxter
! and the AL jscaut streets hlIeOus with their
I crying AMI auarrelins They lived on what
| decayed food they found ON the street and in
tho CUTTERS or could hunt out of the garbage
| barrels They were only half clothed, and
| many of them never had on more than short
| cali,O slip at One tina. They never saw any
| thing Of earth or sky save what view their
own street afforded, AMI as TO natures beau-
ties Of field and mountain that was a creation
| entirely beyond the palO of their imaginative
| powers
| MANY Of them were born in the streets
! where they lived, and Of parents who them
solves were born in tho Same region And
| thus handicapped with mind inherently at
tuned To their surroundings. the prospect of a
| useful or happy life for these children was
J exceptionally dark.
THB INFANT CLASS ROOM
They come at $50 o'clock in the morning
! and gather in the main school room for the
! opening exercises. They are then dismissed
| to the class rooms of the respective grades,
vher- the rest Of the day is spent
Perhaps ons Of the most interesting rooms
is tins infant class room Here the little ones
are ranged on benches, tier above tier like an
smphitheatrs, and below them is the piano,
desk and black boards. Hers takes place all
| important rudimeutary training under their
most accomplished teachers.
The cider children arc taught in other rooms
6tted carefully with the best modern appli
anees for Thorough instruction. The common
English branches are taught and few classes
in industrial work have been organized. A
cooking Oiass was instituted last winter for
| Thursday nights and was attended by about
twenty Of the older pupils The children were
first told how to cook, then set To doing it, and
| then to their unboundei satisfaction were
sllowel to eat what they had cooked.
A sowing school has been in operation
among the scholars and was attended by l2s
| pupils, both boys and girls They learned
the plain stitches first, then to hem and
| gather, and then proceeded to buttonholes.
| This fall those who have progressed far
enough will be taught cutting and fitting.
Reward Of merit cards are given for
punctuality. neatues. and improvement, and
when certain number Of cards have been
awarded tho child can purchase the garment
with them These tic cts are as good legal
tender as this Five Points children care for,
and to their needs are quits as useful as gold
pieces
They meet in ons Of the large class rooms
te sew, and are taught in small groups by
benevolent young ladies', who devote their
services two hours each week to this laud-
able eadeayor. Lsss year many applicants
70 the sowing school were refused because of
the lack Of teachers The classes were all
large, too many, in fact, for one teacher TO
satisfactorily instruct It is to bo hoped that
NOR, young ladies will ofror themselves this
year, that every one who desires it may re-
oeiys thorough instruction in this important
industry.
cALIsTHRSIC BIERCIsEs
Perhaps the prettiest sight to the spectator
is mat Of the school in calisthonic exercises.
Ths 40 ohildrsn march in tins with piano
! music and then 90 through with ths muscular
| movements to the regular cadence Of the
music. 10 IS indeed a pleasant picture, for
every movement I, uniform and falls upon
the accented tone. Yet there is nothing
strained about it, for its rhythm is inspired
BY the music, and the movement becomes
almost involuntary with practice
Al noon the children march in double line
up the stairs TO the top Of the building, where
tie dinin. room il. Thsro arc long tables on
iron standards, and ON the tables double
row OF bowls or plates, according to the bill
and vegetable soup, with buttered rolls, and
sometimes VI fish and bread, or vegetables
and cotrea. Thsrs a coating Of white sand
On ths foor to protect it from the hundreds
Of restless feet upon it At the close of the
meal tho slider girls assist in rearranging the
tables
The noon recess is tbs best hour of the day
n the ohildrsns estimation, for after their
rt fkar To rh.., IL
the rear and basement of tho building The
nsghbors always know when it is noon, for
the combined noise from 400 throats and 500
ANAL feet is quits enough to notify the whole
community. Looking down upon them, with
onss ears filed with the deafsning chatter
the most natural expressions ars: aPanGe-
monium!' ~Bedlam let loose!" But they
enjoy it. Rvry shout comes from a merry
throat and avery stamp of boot heel Is but
the schs Of a happy, 0yorflowing spirit
within.
Ths smallest ones prefer the basement for
their playground, and in here, incIosed by |
foundation walls of sandstone, they play |
Ping around the roses Pussy wants a |
corner" and Blind mans buf7 TO their
hearts content To 40 them at recess time |
ons would not think them tho children of the |
most appalling poverty, neglected and for |
gotten by their parents, left TO feed upon |
refuse, to learn the lessons for their futurs |
life from The shameful scenes all about them
in the streets, and to crawl into a filthy closet
at night 10 sleep upon a pallet of straw, or /
perhaps upon the floor itself.-New York
Graphic.
The Vovsls Of Laughter.
Different ueDDle S,unl difYar.nt xo-ol,