The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-06-17
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l Il FhOEEh EREC-A UlAONs
AS the bicycle rolls swiftly and tri-
umphantly onward, bearing, among
other things, beautiful beings in bloom
ers, it is bound to raise a good many
questions. 1t has just raised an inter-
esting and important question in Coll
lege Point, Long Island. 1t appears
that some Of the women teachers of
College Point have the bicycle craze,
and that they have been in the habit
Of riding their wheels to school, The
members of the board of education of
College Point have come to the conclu-
sion, after patient investigation and
anxious thought, that it will not do to
allow the women teachers to continue
to ride their wheels to school, and they
have issued an order forbldding them to
do So The board admits that It cannot
prevent the teachers from owning or
riding bicycles in general way; that IS
matter of private consideration; 1t
concerns the private life of the teach
ers, and as such cannot very well be
interfered with. But when the teacher
comes to school with her wheel it is
different matter, for then she comes
within the jurisdiction Of the board.
One member of the board says: II con-
slider that for our boys and girls to see
their women teachers ride up to the
school door every day and dismount
from bicycle is conducive to the Gre
alton of immoral thoughts, and will
sooner or later cause the boys and girls
to lose respect for the teachers and ter
inmate in the complete inability Of the
young women to maintain discipline"
Still another member says: 1T is not the
proper thing for the women to ride the
bicycle. They wear skirts, of course,
but if we don't stop them now they will
want to be I'M style with the New York
women and wear boomers. Then how
would our school rooms look with the
women teachers paradng about among
the boys and girls wearing boomers? |
They might just as we'll wear mems |
trousers"
We don't know how the women teach |
ers Of College Point dismount from |
their bicycles, but we don't see how |
they can promote immortality by their |
dismounting. They might, we should |
think, promote laughter in children |
who know what is funny, and thus in
jure discipline. If they look as some of |
the women riders in this neighborhood
do when riding and if they dismount |
in the same or a similar fashion the
boys and girls would be justified in |
being on hand every morning to see
and smoker at the funny spectacle.
But the school children Of College Point
must be of a queer make if they can
see anything immoral in the dismount-
ing of sehoolmaam from bicycle.
It may be a comic, or even tragic
sight, but not, we should think, an
immoral one.
There is something to the fear that
he dismounting OF women teachers
rom bicycles at the school door will
nave a tendency to injure discipline,
Ind there is more to the fear that the
1ding Of bicycles to school by women
may result in the introduction
If bloomers into the schoolroom. This
s the real danger that should be guard
Who makes this danger the ground of
lis action can defend himself Women
eachers "parading about among the
'oys and girls wearing boomers"
would be a sight that nobody interested
n education would want to see They
night indeed just as well wear mems
A woman teacher in bloom
rs could never have the respect or con-
dence of her pupils. They wouldn't
now what to make of her and she
ould make nothing of them. And just
nagine a woman teacher in boomers
tanning rank as an educator" 1t
1ont do, as Colonel Ingersoll says.
The College Point Board Of Educa-
on may not have given the cause of
lorality very powerful boost by its
ction, but 1t has certainly done well
| discouraging the appearance of
loomers in the school room. The edu-
alton of the rising generation should
ot proceed under hermaphroditic in
uences.