The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-01-11
FOR HIS POSITION
Public School Prin eipal Lyeett
Afraid of President
Russ.

Principal John w. Lycett of School No. 2,
Hoboken, was interviewed by a JERSEY CITY
NEWS reporter at his residence, No. 617 Gar
den street, last night concerning the severe
~castigation he received at the hands of Presi-
dent Russ of the Board of Education, at its
meeting on Monday night, as chronicled in
this paper. Mr.. Russ charged Mr.. Lycett
with delinquency in reporting various hap
penings in the school, among them Janitor
McCarthy's drunkenness on January 8.
While Mr.. Lycett was not reluctant to talk
on the matter last night, he did not express
himself as freely as he would lave liked, be-
canse, as he stated, Mr.. Russ is his superior
in school government, and he would place
himself in jeopardy by talking over the
affair. Mr.. Lycett declares that President
Russ charges are deliberate falsehoods, when
he made utterance to assertions that Mr..
Lycett's conduct in No. 2 School was in any
manner improper.
A POSITIVE DENIAL
II will make a positive and unqualified
denial of the statements" said Mr.. Lycett,
as he settled back in the chair. ''They are
not true, and / do not wish them to stand
not contradicted. There is not one charge
against me that can be sustained orproven.
l have not been derelict in the performance
of my duties. When it is asserted that l
failed to make a report of Janitor Nc
Carthy's drunkenness, that is a direct false
hood. told Mr.. Russ of it verbally, and
made a written report to the experimenting
Principal of the affair. Then at the boards
meeting, as you know, I submitted a report
of it. So when it is said did not make
known the ~janitors condition it is untrue.
my record in the school has always been
of the best. | have been in that school for
fifteen years, and that alone would seem to
furnish credentials OF ample proof OF my
satisfactory services. OF course, there was
nothing to do when Mr.. Russ made those
charges but to sit still and listen content
eddy. Although they were not true | could
not max any remonstrance or refutation
then. | am at the mercy of the board. The
board. however, / am certain, would not
sustain such a thing. l am advised that Mr..
Russ, in saying a true word never left my
mouth, committed SANDER. Should / charge
him with such it would result in disastrous
trouble for myself. So I shall keep still.
HIS CREDENTIALS.
"Why the condition in my school is better
thar that of any of the others. In the State,
Normal School examination, three weeks ago,
nine-tenths of the pupils admitted were
from my own school. In all the examine
tions my school is ahead of the others. My
reports show that. If these wholesale al
legations were in any shape true, these facts
| nave related could never be. But il is so,
at any rate.
when I came to this county in 1872 and
took an examination under Superintendent
W. L. Dickinson, since dead, he told me |
was the first one in the county in his recol-
lection who had passed with a State gradual
ton certificate. These things tend to prove
the malicious Islander made against me.
My record in No. 2 school is good. 1t can
not be questioned. As to my being held
accountable for Janitor McCarthy's conduct,
that is absurd. If my friends push this mat
ter, [ cannot say where it viii end"