New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-11
ONE NEW YORK TEACHER
Her Experience tn the Public Schools
Since 1866.

There not many teachers in the public schools
OF New-Tork who were born In the neighborhood
in which they now teach. and who spent their own
school days and afterwa-d all their teaching days
IN the locality. and almost the school
Such q one, however. is Miss 11oUiss Baurens.
clerk OF Public School No 3. ~ Mulberry and
Bsysrd SITS. She was born just around the corner.
n Bayard-st and her recollection OF great naples
shading the sides OF that street and % the two
story frame houses, each in its yard occu-
pied by one family each. shows how rapid the
changes In that part Of the city have been.
She was graduated from the old Elrn-st- school
at the age Of fourteen and since 1866 her life has
been spent teaching in either Public School No. 1os
IN hottest. in the old Eln-st. and City Hall Place
schools or II Public School No. %
TIE ole 6th Ward. included in the 1st As
seubly District, filed with Irish and Ger
mans when I child said she. with a
spCinkling Of Americans and few Jewish rner-
chants-Ger1aa-, Jews think Park Row was
called Chatham-st. then. after General Chatham
Raxter-st vas called Orange. Nulberry-st was
always Mulberry-st.. ana can remember when the
great mulberry trees stood all along its sides
The Elm-st school vas for many years one OF
.he crack schools Of the city. The school board
always used TO send visitors down there Miss
HFcCosker was FOR years g famous principal Of the
girls department and James A. Sweeney, father
Of the Miss Sweeney who is now principal OF the
Mott-st school was principal Of the boys depart
rneut. Ali sorts of notable men used to come TO
spsak TO Us Horace Greeley often came. Dr.
Sweeney was an Irish gentleman and scholar OF the
old school Many Of the girls in the old Eln1-st-
scheoI became teachers. ard there are at least a
dozen Of them IN the schools to-day.
when the heavy Jewish immigration began
some TWENTY-FIVE years ago. the irish, Germans
and the older Jewish residents began TO move up
town or over into Brooklyn The nelghborhooo
became almost soidly Jewish. Then. about ten
years age. began the Italian influx and each year
sees fewer Jews and more Italians in the neigh
borhood The old 9Th is to-day 4 microcosm OF
the whole world with the natives Of all lands meet
.nE We have II Public School No 3 to-day Ital-
tzns Germans. Irish. Poles. Russians. Turks. Eng
lish Scotch Greeks. SyTians. Welsh, Austrlans,
Fexp1ians Sxedes Norwegians. Danes. Chinese,
japanese Swiss. Galicians. Lithuanians and few
Americans. Yes. II IS queer. but TWO or three
American families Of The old stock still cling 10
the old 9Th The only nation that sends small
er representation than the American is the French
We have only one French child in Public School
The 5e sth vard-the Bloody Sixth they used TO
call Il in the days when the Eowery BOYS ana
the Dead Rabbits a o pSeo 10 bse rnefed an
astonishing number Of people who have become well
known in New-York City life Go over the old
ToIIboos OF any Of the old schools and every other
name almost among the boys IS that OF man VINO
troIlers and actors especially actors-we've turned
for politicians and actors Blanche walsh is our
most famous representative the stage perhaps,
OF al the different nationSii1ies she has handled
IN school Miss Baurens confessed that she likes
Perhaps it's mean 10 say Il. = said she because
But there's z sunny sweetness in the disposition
OF the Italian child that must say is peculiarly
attractive. don't know al what age the italian
acquires the vindicrfveness which IS said TO be a
tie most foTgv eotonse oang e6siqF fRa are
have ever come in contact with and the artistic
talent that goes 10 waste among them is very sad
There IS Adelina Ferrara- She working on
pockethooks for s. g week. II she could be
educated she would make great tragedienne.
Her teacher almost cried at the pity OF it when
AGslns left school to work pocketbooks. and
n smaller way il has been the same with rnany
another Italian child The Italians DO seem to
realize the existence Of their own talents. and
they lack the keen. unbendirg determination OF
the Jews 10 cultivate their own abilities and rise
n the world That Is their chief lack. and i is
what keeps them back"