The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-12
roae,cNsa PICKS THE a,zE.
Thirteen-Year-Old Russian Carries on
the School Award.

boy Of barely 10 and he has only been
in America five years. being unable to
speak word of English or to read and
write when he arrived, but he was re-
Gently awarded public prize for the
best essay on Patriotism submitted
in the Hayes public school, and that
with the competition open to all the
100 other pupils who attended.
When it is considered that he came to
America and Chicago direct from Rus
sian Jewdom and that his entire ac-
quaintance with anything like freedom
or patriotism has been engendered dur
ing the past five years the circum-
stances seem really remarkable. To the
boy himself. however, 1t is not remark
able at ALL
Il am patriotic because 1 cannot help
it," he says enthusiastically. las l said
in my essay, love America because
here all are free and equal and have
equal justice and chances in life. 1t Is
the only country in the world, too,
where people of my religious faith have
never been Disseminated against"
Every Jew in the world ought to
love America if for that reason only"
put in Arthurs older sister. Fannie,
with an enthusiasm equal to his own.
This sister Is in her own way quite as
unusual and clever as the boy who won
the patriotic prize and who is her spec
ial joy and hearts delight.
The head of the family, Joseph Gros-
berg, is an invalid, suffering much from
infiammatory rheumatism, which con-
fines him to his bed most of the time.
The mother is also a confirmed invalid,
being at the present time in the Michael
Reese hospital undergoing treatment
for the dropsy which incapacitates her
for all the ordinary vocations of life.
Nhn nl1 lar, to toll
alyzed, and in addition to the boy who
has lately distinguished himself and
the sister already mentioned there are
two other children. Eva, the eldest of
these. graduated from the Hayes public
school last week, she and her brother
Arthur being the only foreign-born pu-
pills of the room in which both were
stationed. The two children, Eva and
Arthur, started to school together upon
first reaching Chicago five years ago;
the girl has made the entire eight
grades successfully since then, the boy
will graduate next year. His rank for
the whole school year was but second in
the school. But for an accident his
grade teacher declares he would have
ranked first His work and department,
like that of his sister Eva, have been
uniformly and consistently good.
In order to keep these two children
and the 10-year-old brother in school
father, mother and sister and lay by a
little something if possible for the time
when Arthur is ready to commence the
professional work. which his older sis
ter, Fannie, has determined upon for
him, this sister labors increasingly and
steadily cheerfully and gladly For
three years, although barely II at pres
ent, and with but two years attendance
upon the Chicago public schools to her
credit the brave girl has carried on the
business of the fair-sized general store
of which she is manager salesWoman
and general factotum. She keeps her
own books by means of an improvised
+ system of single entry, which she has
| somehow acquired, attends to her own
| purchasing, pays the family and house
| hold bills and sedulously looks after the
! carrying out of the larger schemes of
which she generally has one or more in
hand. Although so short time resi-
dents of this country and knowing no
word of English upon their arrival,
both brother and sisters speak clear
and perfect English, and the boy S
teacher. Miss Carrie Paine. declares
! that his command of the English lam
! guage is really remarkable. His writ
| ten examination papers have always
been among the very best handed in to
her, and that the gift of eloquence is his
| at times he fully eXemplified when ex-
| icle readers his reasons for the spirit
| of true and loving patriotism and af-
! fectionate generation for the country
| of his adoption, which breathed so
strongly through the patriotic essay
which won him the coveted prize. His
| good English is particularly explained
| by the facts of his love of good read
ing and of the natural scholarship of
his father, at one time Hebrew teach
er, but his artistic capabilities come to
| him from source less evident and
| easily explained.
Greek subjects have occupied his at
tention and interest very strongly dur
ing the school year just closed, and
| several weeks before the closing of the
| school sessions he conceived a really
| clever and brilliant idea for the deco
| ration of the semi-circular window
which helps to light the seventh Grade
school room and worked early and laty
| to carry the plan into successful eXecu
ton. The small circle at the foot o.
the window is occupied by a Greel
| chariot and horses, which the heads o.
the animals attached to the opposing
chariot just visible in the distance. The
space Immediately above it is filled with
| Greek racing figures and at each sidt
stands a tall Greek warrior, engaged
in throwing a spear at the oncomins
enemy, which may be partially dis
the figures, which were first drawn CT
paper, then cut out of strawboard ant
colored in true Greek colorings ant
tones, show much of spirited life and
action, and the drawing is remarkably
| good. The idea came to the boy, III
says, from reading UP Greek matter.
in an encyclopedia. Much and earnes'
work was necessary to transfer thu
mental plan to the plane of of visibility
but the result fully supports the faitl
which the boys teacher has in HI
artistic future. His sister declares tina
even as little child he could tear ami
mails and flowers so lifelite as to b
easily recognizable out of wrappins
paper or bits of blank cardboard, ant
that later still he took to drawing
chalk pictures all over the spotles:
floros, which at once attested his moth
er's love of cleanliness and her faith in
scrubbing.