Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-11-21
GIRLS WERE SCARCE
That Caused the Woodhaven
School Boards Action.
THE TEACHERS UP IN ARMS.
Declare They Will Fight thu Order
Making Them Live in the Town.


the Dogs Because of a Dsarth of Society
Young Women-The Fellows Had Or
ganized Old Bachelors Associa-
ton - Heroic kMeasures Had to BIZ
Adopted to Save the Town.
WooDHAvEN, L. l., Nov. 21.-Politcs,
| the Chilian question and all such affairs
appear as nothing to the citizens of this
place, in comparison with the great fight
between the 16 pretty school teachers
of the town and the school trustees If,
as has been limited, the girls strike or
take their case to the court, the town
will be in an uproar. 1t is all the re-
suit of rule passed by the trustees
m taking it obligatory on the teachers to
reside in Woodhaven. There are three
schools here, and of the 16 teachers 10
have been living at Brooklyn, Williams
burg and Long Island City.
| President Kirkland, of the Board of
| Trustees, says: stThis school district
pays about 81, 500 in salaries to teachers,
and l think this money should be spent
in the village. If the teachers reside
away from the village they are liable to
be late at the morning session and also
in hurry to depart in the afternoon.
Besides, this place has long needed a
suitable number of educated young
women as an addition to society. Last
spring the young women organized an
"Old Maid Society,"" and later the young
men organized an "Old Bachelors Con-
ISOLATION Association" When things
come to such an issue it is time some
thing should be done for society in the
village; SO conceived the idea of hav-
ing the teachers reside in the place. l
think the young men of the village
should feel grateful to me. We have
selected as teachers young women who
are both handsome and accomplished. "
At the request of the Board of Trustees
all the teachers signed an agreement to
reside in Woodhaven. This soon became
very irksome to the girls who had re-
sided elsewhere. They did not want to
live away from their parents homes
Finally one girl, Miss McKenna, of Long
Island City, hired room in Woodhaven
Her brother James McKenna, ran on
the Democratic ticket for Assemblyman,
and was defeated by Mr.. Weeks, re-
publican, of Hampstead. Although
Miss McKenna rented room in Wood
haven she went to her Long Island City
home every night. The other young
. women tried to give the impression that
they lived in WoodhaveD, although they,
g too, went to their homes in other places,
and did not go to the expense of hirin g
a room as Miss McKenna did
President Kirkland and his fellow
8 trustees are reported to have visited
the Woodhaven churches at all of the
services on Sunday. They did not see
the young teachers there. They inquired
pleasantly Of the teachers, when they
2 met them afterward, if they liked the
church services. The teachers all re-
piled eyes, but the trustees showed
that they knew that the young women
had not bean to church in Woodhav en-
T. then. The trustees told the teachers
I IL. =.
The young women held caucuSes, and
voted the whole board of trustees per
factly horrid creatures, " and positively
declared that ''they never, never would
@ submit
But they did submit. Within the
last week all of them, except Miss
McKenna have moved their property to
Woodhaven and now reside there. They
are free to go home on Friday nighti
and remain till Monday, but some O.
them declare that just for spite, they
will not take advantage of that priv
ileSe. They are a very angry lot O.
young women and declare that they viii
never speak to any of the Board o
Trustees unless they must.
1--WE have no place to go in the even
ings when our school duties are over, u
said one of the pretty teachers yester
day. "The rates of board are very high
and our salaries are not. We believe
the whole scheme has been concocteC
for the benefit of the boarding houst
keepers. Our hard earned money is
needed in our homes 1t is very uncon
genial here. We obey the new rule onl!
under compulsion. We are afraid w;
will be discharged if we do not and We
cannot afford that
School Com missioner John s. Merrill
says he thinks that the contract between
the trustees and the teachers would no
hold good if the teachers chose to rebel
The trustees, he says, are created b.
II statute and have only such power u
ID the statute gives them. There is nj
IF claim on the teachers time after schoo
or hours. for school purposes. He main
t. ta1ns that the same rule which deprive
al the Board of jurisdiction over the schoo
ID children after they leave the school yart
applies equally to the teachers.
Sc hool Superintendent Smith, who
has charge of the w oodhaven schools
and is the immediate superior Of the
teachers said that the contract give
the parents an opportunity of meeting
the teachers if they SO desire, and tbs
knowledge OF. this had good effect upor
the scholors. When the teachers re
sided out of Woodhaven there were to-
many cases of hardness among TIL
scholars and it was difficult to reprov
the children for this when the teuche r
J. set so poor an example. Mr.. Smit
says it is his duty as superin tendent t
enforce the contract and he intends t
Il do
V Two Young Ladies' Killed