The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-29
ROW OVER A CYCLE HABIT.
MISS OWEN WORE HERS Nv THE
CLASSROOM AND WAS JEERED.

She Rides Daily TO the School where She
Teaches, and She Ran Into the Room TO
Quen n Disturbance Before She He'd
Had an Opportunity 60 Change Her Habit
Superintendent Of Schools Jasper received
last week n peculiar report from Principal
Berkins Of Grammar School TO-. in 117th
street. Miss Mary Owen, a teacher in tho
school, the principal said, had appeared in
bicycle costume before her class. The schol-
ars had carried tho news home, and an exag-
Cerated version of the affair had been spread
through the ncighborhood.
Miss Owen is n daughter of William A.
Owen, principal of School SO, at Ninety
sixth street and Lexington avenue. She is q
bright, comely little woman Of about twenty
FIVE years. Before she went to tho 117th
street school she taught in the m school
on 125th street. She teaches the fourth gram
mar grade. which consists Of sixty-seven boys
from 10 to ID years old.
Miss Owen and several other teachers in tho
same school have taken recently to bicycling.
Many Of them live far from tho school. and
have ridden daily to tho building. They wear
bicycle skirts of the usual length. They
leave their wheels in n room in the basement
and change their clothes in q large room re-
served for teachers. What happened to Miss
Owen was told by her father last night.
Two weeks ago Miss Owen arrived on her
wheel at the school n little before l o'clock.
Size found the door OF the dressing room
locked. She had mislaid her key. and started
out to borrow some other teachers. AS she
passed the door OF her class room. she heard q
disturbance, which she felt II her duty to stop.
whether in bicycle costume or not. Her en-
trance. she says, was the signal for n torrent
Of jcers and Insulting remarks. "Bloomers."
several of the boys shouted, ard a boy in the
front row told her to "tako 'em off," After
restoring order she sent for the general assist
ant to hiring the key OF the dressing room. She
went to the room, changed her dress, and re-
The pupils of Miss OVENS class spread the
news that Miss Owen appeared before them in
II bicycle costume. The majority OF them
said she wore bloomers, and several of tho
said yesterday that she attempted to teach Tho
class while In costume, until she was advised
by a superior to change her dress. They said
she wore !, skirt, but the boomers were dis
tinctly visible below it.
Earnest Il. Birkins, the prln sipal, when seen
last night refused to talk. superintendent
Jasper. SAID that Miss owen has been n teacher
for more than eiRhs years In the city schools,
and had proved.herself competent. "lhavc seen
the lady myself since the affair. and from her
and from the report OF Mr.. Birkins | have
Sstnsiona 81! tho sS i sShsoi Of on the her i"sf Sicy sRs rS Sas
usually went to the dressing room to change
her short skirt for a:longer one before entering
her class room. On this occasion IL was twen-
tS-ive minutes before school convened. She
heard a noise made by some boys ia her class
teacher had been.scnt for ehe went and changed
her costume. She was taken i'll soon after
that, and Is now on the sick list. OF course,
cLnnot approve of a teacher appearing in
bicycle costume before II class, but in this case
] think 1t was cxcusable... She is an excellent
teacher. and it is my opinion all this is the
work of an enemy"
Mr.. Owen said his daughter had been under
the doctors care for nervous prostration, aud
by his order shc saw Superintendent Jasper
and obtained leave of absence. She probably
will return to school next Monday. Her
N hsnnra from srhnnl hnG UtNnp rtGa m fha N
port that she has been suspended. This was
denied emphatically by the Superintendent.