The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-11-23
WHAT is A PIANO ?.
Board Of Education Decides
Last Night 1t Is a Piece
Of Furniture.
DIRECTOR CULLEN'S JOKE
Bids Received for Supplies
Complaint About No.
20 Plans.

| An amusing incident took place last
| night during the meeting of the Board of
Education when piano was gravely
classed as a piece of furniture rather than
as musical instrument 1t all arose
when the special committee to furnish
the new Greenville schools with pianos
made the report of it's awards.
They reported that it. had decided to
buy from Holmes, Van Dyck & Co., of
this county, a second hand Chickering
Grand for $3.50 and an upright instrument
from w. Knabe & Co., for $277.
Director Jonn j. Cullen, chairman of the
Committee on Books and Stationery, bent
on little quiet fun objected to the com
mittee's doing anything of the kind.
Mr.. Chairman" he said, 81 emphati-
cally object to the prerogatives of the
committee of which l have the honor of
being chairman being infringed in this
manner. The manual states clearly that
the purchase of musical instruments is
a part of its duties. My objection is pure
~ technical one and does not arise from
any desire to be mixed up in buying
pianos for the public schools. Q.aughter.)
Chairman J. J. Mulvaney reminded the
Director that at previous meeting it had
beeen decided to leave the purchase of
pianos to the new schools special fur
nishing committee.
'Why?" asked the Director
Because we think that it is really a
part of the school furniture" was the
reply.
DO understand you, then, TO say that
piano is a piece of furniture merely?"
In this case, yes.'
Then it would appear that have been
laboring under a strange delusion. For
merly I supposed that the triumph of
mechanism from which so much beautiful
music was extracted in millions of house
holds and by which. Rubinstein, Liszt,
Chopin and Paderewski had charmed the
ears OF multitudeS was not merely a chair
or az table but a musical instrument.
denceforth l must change my views and
have only to say for the chairman of
the Committee on Books and Stationery
that he will be glad to be relieved of the
duty of purchasing that kind of furniture
for the public schools, and L will vote
aye. daughter.)
The report was adopted.
So much time had been consumed in
caucuSsing upstairs that it was after 10
p. M. when the Directors came into open
meeting. Now there were bids to be re-
ceived for supplies, and the advertise
ment stated that 8 p. NJ. was the hour
WACA tliCy WOuA0 DC ICCCifCu- LlC QuCo-
tion then arose as to the legality OF re-
ceiving bids at some time other than
specified. Chairman Mulvaney, however,
proceeded with the regular &hsiness, and
instructed the clerk to receive the bids.
Forty in all were handed in
For coal for the schools these were
read
Hudson Coal Co., egg, $3.50 per ton;
stove, $5.20; nut, S525; pea, $3.50. Waddell
Coal Co.. egg, $40; stove, $490; nut, $4.S5;
pea, $780, J. Coyle, egg, $3.50; stove, $4.75
nut, $4.75; pea $3.75. The bids were re-
ferred The last named bid will be ac-
cepted.
Next came a kick from Contractor
Richard English about the concrete pave
ment for the new Greenville school. He
informed the board that he couldn't lay
the pavement until some extra excava-
tion was done. The plans, he said, had
been changed and this had delayed the
work Until the extra work was finished
he couldn't proceed.
The Board of Examiners reported that
they had awarded the following certiti-
cates:-
Grammar School Principals-Geo. Nor.
ris, E. A. Murphy.
To teach English in the High School
Mrs. Jenny +. Owens.
To teach in the Primary and Grammar
Schools, also in the High School Algebra,
geometry and trigonometry-Miss Mabel
Smith
Director W. A. Lewis said that the re-
port on salaries was ready and he would
present it at the adjourned meeting to
be held on Tuesday next. The Board then
adjourned