Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-09-28
BECAUSE THEY WERE ITALIANS.
Two Bright Girls Leave M IS School on Acc
count of Mtsbehavior OF UngaIlanG Boys.

pCuhUOE lTlCt WLhE lhliHNCs
Two Bright Girls Leave M IS school on Acc
count of Misbebavior OF UngaIlant Boys.
As result Of the taunts and general
unmunly conduct of boys, Louise
Chickadel, daughter of Charles Chick
adel, the teamster of No. 905 Lincoln
street, has probably missed her last
chance to continue in school, and her
friend, Florence Bernardo, daughter Of
Rafael Bernardo of No. 1907 West
Ninth street, has lost time from school.
Louise Is now employed in the mo-
rocco factory of +. Blumenthal Il Go.
Florence may be urged by her father to
try to continue her studies in spite of
the, misbehavior of boys.
As their names indicate, the girls
are Of Italian parentage. They are
dark in complexion. They have COM
pletod the primary course of instruc-
tion at Public School No. II. Ninth
and Scott streets, where they showed
themselves very apt pupils. Both colld
write we'll and both were good at frac-
tions. Miss Alice Jackman, the prin-
cipal at No. IL School, took partieu
lar interest in the girls, and they in
return were completely in love with
her. 1t was with regret on both sides.
tlttTtlOTtt Nu6u tub BIIlo uab ichohod
the point where they were entitled TO
advance from the highest primary
grade to the lowest grapiinar grade,
because that necessitated their transfer
to another school. Miss Jackman sent
them to No. 10, at Seventeenth and
| Union streets.
There the dark-hued girls soon noted
wide difference from the coneenial
surroundings of the primary school.
They found themselves with a large
class of boys and they felt out of place.
| After school the boys shouted at them
| and chased them holneward. Accord
| ing to one report the boys thought or
assumed to believe that the girls were
| colored girls and would not for that
reason countenance their being in a
white school. Whatever the truth
about the cause, the actions of the
boys coupled with other circumstances
Perhaps, led to the withdrawal If both
girls from school.
Miss Jackman, learning that the
girls had left, interested herself in the
matter and had Florence Bernardo visit
her at No. II and will try to arrange
| for her to enter grammar school and
make up her studies. Louise Chicka-
! del, through the unhappy experience at
| No. ID, remained at home and while
| there was sent for to work at the mo-
rocco factory. She has probably
reached the end of her school life.
When seen by the writer Tuesday,
| the child displayed a spirit of resigna-
tion to what she seemed to accept as q
matter of course. There were 10 chill
dren in the family, and she could not
spend the time in, doing nothing; SO
that the break in schuol life left an
opportunity for her to take up manual
work in a factory She has been at
| the factory little over a week. At
first, she found the work unpleasant,
but is now getting used to it,
She was very bright in her manner
and her voice was somewhat musical.
Eyes, VIC ought to have the privi-
leges of others" i;about the way she
spoke of the r.ejudices which have
resulted in tsr leaving school. She
herself was born here and yet Is meanly
treated because her parents are Italians
and her skin is dark. -
She spoke with animation of Miss
Jackman and said she would like to go
back to her.
Florencs bernardo was not seen by
the writer but her father was. He
related how after her first day at the
grammar school he asked her how she
liked school and she told him that o
boy said some word that did not please
her. just what the boy said was not
made clear. At any rate, Florence did
not'relish the idea Of returning to the
school, and her father allowed her to
remain at home. He is willing enough
that she shall go to school. N
Although the failure OF these two
girls to attend the grammar school may
Of itself be trivial Incident, the fact
that their desire to get an education,
to which they are entitled, Is interferod
with by the prejudice of boys, seems a
sufficient apology for setting forth their
case 10 this detail.