New-York tribune., 1902-08-17
DCVOTING LIFE TO SCHOOLS.
J. Fl. ZABRISKIE HAS HAD NJ VI II
EMPLOYMENT IN SEVENTY
THREE YEARS.

1osiob II zabr,skie, one Of the oldest school
masters of the city, who celebrated MS eoio1H
wedding anniversary in Mount vernon ti-is "eeN
is seyenty-three years old, and has nearly all ol
his life in the public schools Of NeW-forh' el'Hei
as pupil. teacher or principal WIN 'io eAGeP P
ton of Nathan P Beers he is said to be tne ooesl
school teacher the city, yet ne sun retains .
place as principal of School No To- IN "eS' ~
teenth-st., where he has d most VI -Iie--' 7
the teachers and pupils.
stx+y years Of work have left the old school
master and his faithful wife gray with age Out
they are stiI. youthful in heart and spirit anu a
the anniversary reception on Wednesday hIsH'
they were among the most blithesome OF all the
guests On this occasion they stood Dehe@t'l d
canonv of palms and were assisted In receiving
by Mrs. James an Ness their bridesmaid OF MY
years ago. Surrounding them were their h'e cIil
dren and eight grandchildren and host OF tTlehus
from Mount Vernon, this city ana otHeI piIoV' -
this State and in New-Jersey-
In sneaking OF his long career in the schools MI
Zabrskie said
NV first employment In the schools came 20 me
when l only thirteen years Old Was "iia'
WAS then known as monitor. \ monitor IN those
DAYS received so a year and was supposed 10
assist the teacher his work and 70 act as JahItor
besides then went through the normal school'
and at eighteen received my first appointment aS
a teacher Next became vice-pCincipal or Schooi
No. Il, where l served fifteen years under FRANCIS
McSallv and Thomas r. Harrison. succeeding MI
Harrison as principal in 1866. when he LETT the
school to become OF the city superlntel0efts-
Then School No. II ard School No 10 were con-
solidated and made boys SCHOOL, anu nave
been there ever since
MANY men nov prominent IN public and profess
sonaI life and business circles began their careers
as schoolchiIdren under the old principal, and on
the occasion of the jubilee they remembered their
old tutor with messages of conS:atuIaIon anu
costly gifts of gold and cut glass Among them
are Joseph s. Wood president of the Board OF
Education of Mount Vernon; Ira Remsen. Presi-
dent OF Johns Hopkins University: John Stephen
SON professor OF geology IN New-York University;
Edward Iauterbach the we'll known lawyer
Charles Smiley a Wall Street banker. and the
RT he fete5 E8s'Sn feacheTs he drilled several
reached positions of prominenSe. JoH1 NE 70 fi t
Cecil Kidd and %ssRn A. rPP 9 the ise dd princ
pals labors since he began ais career nave oeeh III
the Ninth Ward. -, ..h- =.
he said. proudly Il haven't had TO whip boy IN IN
wentXhve years II is SS1dGn da turn f him over 10
als'in7iag She truant Z offfGers' nee -.
Z am going to tell You secret & abs said baa ms rs
wife jokngly. His mother said that sne na1 ~ 70
whip him 10 30 to school It came ol a90GI 'is bSy
grabbed his hat, snd he so hurt about II that
ne came ne aef gan aHS She eo soon ms settled his
II after which he was glad 10 get o2ek 10 MS
b aged principal looked bashful while his little
oran5cblidren who were gathered about him. sit
ting on his knees. laughed ,e at fhe idea o' '"e''
Mr. zabrtskie that n his 81 long career tbas he
has formed maXimS regarding MS cOLludCt
at home or at school. My rule. said he, Is 70
decide everything as II comes up. whether II per
taIns 70 school work business or affairs az nome
I find that this is the only safe rule 20 follow
smoking pipe is the on, only nd nHeH Soesat believe it
hurts him a bit. Hard work and rnodeTation IN
ali things is my only maxim he said III a man
sticks to these he will get along in the "orlu anu
save himself lot of trouble
its worth He is comfortably well on, has cot.
taqe Allied with pretty grandchildren, the Oldest OF
whom Il sixteen and he has been repeatedly non
ored by his townsmen and associates For elgn-
teen years he was president OF the Board or ECu-
cation of Mount Vernon. and for seventeen years years
eervnd "a superintendent OF the Reformed sunday
Srbooi of that city. He IS also an officer or the
Fast Chester Savings Bank and a member or many
- the leading societies OF Mount Vernon, where
he has been a resident for forty-eight years