The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-03-11
TEAPOT TEMPEST.
High School Committee In-
vestigates Complaints by
Training School
Pupils.
NO DISCRIMINATION PROVED
Mental Arithmetic, the Stumbling
Block in the Examinations,
Not Even Included in
the Works.
NO DISCRIMINATION PROVED

the W0TkS.
A highly original version of Mr.
Shakespere's comedy. "Much Ado About
Nothing" was presented before a special
committee of the Board of Education at
a private performance yesterday after
noon in Principal j. H.. Brensinger's office
in School No. 8.
The select audience consisted of Direc-
tors E. s. Cowles.. F. ]. Mersheimer, B.
L. Stowe. Edward Hoos, W. H. Beach and
President u. Allen and City Superinten-
dent Snyder, and the condolences we're
Misses Jessie L. Carhn of No. 36 Railroad
avenue. Rose May Lascel of No. lao Sum
init avenue and Eta R. Banfield, No. %
Vroom street.
These three u ladies-there wasNa
fourth, Miss Mamie Boy5an, but h re-
tired from the ~caste-were pupils in the
Training School. and recently submitted
themselves for graduation. Their answers
to the questions were not deemed salts
factory by the critic teachers. and they
were not included in the list of those who
passed. This did not please, them. and
they wrote to the High School Committee
complaining that they had been unfairly
treated. and limited that the method of
examination was loose and that before
the result was made known they learned
from outsiders that they were to be
passed over. These and other charges
were patiently and carefully gone into
yesterday, and there was plenty of hu-
NOR in the proceedings, which finally re-
solved itself into a tempest in a teapot.
The gravamen of the young ladies'
charges was that Miss Outwater, the
critic teacher. had marked them low in
mental arithmetic, which subject they
were not up in because they had not been
1t for some years. They claimed
they were taken at a disadvantage and
did not regard an exercise in that branch
as an examination. The wind was
knocked out OF this charge by the state
ment OF Miss outwater, corroborated by
Mr.. Snyder and the committee, that the
marking of the examination on mental
arithmetic was never recorded and never,
of course included In the general result.
Miss Carlin's complaints were first ex-
amined, and. she kept Principal Bren-
singer very busy answering questions
about his practice in giving instruction
to the teachers at the half hours ses-
sion. Her principal grievance was that she
was examined in a. subject IN which she
had never received instructions, because
when Mr.. Brensinger was teaching that
subject, history, to others, she was abb
sent at another school. She further COM
planned that before the result was known
she heard what her marks were and
that she was to fail.
Pray who told you that?" asked Di-
rn0fnr HArg>c IL - r. 80
animation ss-z XIII
My sister was informed that Princi-
pals Kelly and Hopkins had said so"
was the reply, and another girl knew
what her marking was,
who was this grip asked Mr.. Cowles.
Miss Seeley knew two days before that
four girls were to be kept back" replied
Miss Carfin, with a sharp look at Mr..
Brensinger. g wa4 s9
Did h tell you the names?"
Yes. she said mysmark was 5 and an
other girls was g., and Mr.. Brensinger
tod us afterwards that these were the
Superintendent Snyder explained here
that he read to the class the final
marks without Mentioning the subjects.
Turning to Prin eipaI Brensinger Mr..
CoWles said, laughingly, You have a
away"
Miss Rose May LascelIs case came
next. She is a pleasant looking girl and
sat on a sofa with Miss Carlin and Miss
Banfield, facing the committee. Her
grievance briefly was that she lac done
well In history and arithmetic and as an
instance of the latter said that she had
been commended for her work IN dem
onstrating standard time, multiplication
of decimals and other things. She
couldn't understand why he should be
marks were 60 and so per cent, while
another girl who received o that sub
ject 20 per cent and zero was graduated,
and which fact she knew before the re
suit was known. <
And them continued Miss Lascell,
Miss Outwater, who was supposed to
mark us. didn't often take any marks at
all. / have seen her without paper and
pencil, and she forgot to keep asrecofd
of my work. She never made any cor
rection in my work but often praised 1t"
That's the prssctice to peo-
Miss Banfeld' "a bright and attractive
young lady, who had been listening close
1y to this. asked If it was right to mis-
lead a pupil, and demureiy added that If
it was she had been misled all the time.
Continuing, Miss Lascell said that Miss
Classy, another teacher. had said that
she overheard Nj IS Outwater remark that
BE careful win en- you become a teacher
what you say it) your class" added Mr..
Cowles, with a Smile to Miss LasceQl..
Yes, and we won't coura our pu-
pills unless we mean it," said Miss Ban
field, throwing a sly look at Principal
Brensinger.
It was now Miss Banfleld's turn, and the
mental arithmetic, which was never re-
corded, was Aer bugbear. One lady, she
said, a Miss Rafter. had never one been
during the term, and yet had passed.
That's a eufoG charge, interposed
President AAlens and Miss Outwater was
at once SENT for.
Miss Banfield. continuing. explained that
She had been failed in language when IT
was impossfbl9 since she had the .brief
In front of her and the questions were so
simple. Then, Mr.. Brenslnger,s methods
Of teaching were varied and not IN ac-
cordance with her ideas, and to sum up
have passed. ta
Miss outwater appeared at this mo