New-York tribune., 1901-09-13
EAST SIDERS AT SCHOOL.
TOTS SENT THERE WHEN THEY ARE
HARDLY ABLE To WALK-A
TYPICAL CHILD.

That famous type Of schoolboy whom Shake
speare described with shining morning face. creep
ing like snail unwilngly to school, is not yet ex~
tinct and may be observed about this season Of
the year in any part of the upper West Side. But
go downtown. seek out the Italians and the Jews
and the Germans and the Irish. who dwell together
in or less amity in crowded streets below
Fourteenth-st.. and nothing Is left OF the bard's
description except thanks to vigorous teachers) the
shining morning face.
Take any hundred OF the East Side and ask
whether they glad school has opened. and prob
ably considerably ninety Of them Will say
yes and mean it, IL you are behind the scenes
you may venture shrewd guess that school is
hailed in part relief from the doing OF much
housework; but, anyway, the result IS the same
Contrary 10 their wealthier brothers and sisters
the East Side children mob the schooihcuse and
beam ioyously at the sight Of teacher"
Last Monday morning long lines Of children and
many mothers waited outside every public school
building on the East Side. The children
pgfed UP with importance and the mothers looked
worried. They know that not all the children
have all day session. and it dsturbs them. IT
is due partly to desire for the welfare of their
offspring tha- heir souls filed with gloom as
they look at the line ahead Of them and IL is partly
the fact that tenements small. children are
many and the more that of the way during
the day the better IL is for the mother. The pas
sion for sending children hardly able TO walk TO
the public school Is grounded in these desires.
S1gen lGree rooms. ten cfilloreQ ana a teethinS
baby, and what is mother TO do except TO send
the little who walk TO school? Perhaps
the cay VIII come when the city Will have play
rooms and guardians for these tots. but il hasn':
come yet and the public school is made to DO
double duty.
'Hullo. teacher cried little girl IN the wait
ing line TO a passing woman. The ''tescher' was
probably teacher. for that is the generic tits
applied TO all persons who speak English well and
seem Of the social grade that wears kid gloves
haDltually.
Why. Essie," said the teacher patti.g the
shoulder q
Are you glad to go back"
'Yesm, responded Essie promptly. with an EN-
phatic shake Of her eight-year-old head. Il ain Z
done nothn' but look after the baby this year. 4
lady wanted 10 send me to the country, but my
How about the others?' queried the passerby.
DID Jennie and Eva and Mary have good time
this Yacation?'
oh Jennie she went 10 the Catskils Her
fathers rich now. She stayed there all summer.
Eva, she's here just the The ladies sent her
away for two weeks TO the seashore, but she didn't
Ike i. She said there wasn't nothing there but
Just the beach, and you couldn't spend no money.
home she cried all week TO go back. Iary's papa
hurt himself this summer. She has TO work awful
hard in the house She didn't want come to
school, cause her mother has much work TO do:
and Mary she's awful good girl. But her
mother SAID she was to come just the same. Her
inother wants her to go to college,'-this in
rushed tone of. awe. We'll goodby. teacher and
Essie ran lightly up the stairs into the house of
refuge which protected her from the baby.