The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-30

do you see that manG said the pro-
prietor Of an evening school on the lower
Fast SHE He Ia S. He works all cay
in q sweat shop.
HE has mover had more sch oolinR in
his lie than would teach him to read and
write, and he IL preparing himself to study
medicine. Sometimes he goes to sleep
over his books but he keeps at II with
logged determination.
i think it's a losing game with him.
but haven't the heart to tell him 3d. and.
after ALL it's just the way most Of our Fast
side physicians have got their degrees
In no other cart Of the city 90 90 II any
private schools flourish &c IN the crowded,
poverty stricken streets Of the Tas; slice;
not only rabt mic al scboo for IT, instTuc-
ton Of young boys in the PRINCIPLES Of
orthodoxy, and business colleges TO IGe-
rare directly for ohte work, tut evening
schools for the inraIting Of conventional
education.
IN the last the courses range from A, B. C
10 acaden ic branches. They teach middle
aged men ard wcnen TO read snd write
and they pIeraTe for all sorts Of e1amina-
tions; teachers civil service and university
The thirst for educ alton among the inmi-
grants Of this region is son ething pathetic,
considering their financial circumstances.
sIhave pedller in my class said 3 young
woman who for some time assisted her
brother. public school teacher, in a school
Of the kind Of which he was the proprietor.
The man was ~, and had never been TO
school a single day in his life.
He could make change in his head a.
we'll a. anybody, but he could not do the
simplest sums on paper. For instance,
be could not subtract 20 from 81 on paper.
He had never learned the process OF bor-
rowing from the 10 column.
when he grasped that, IL was a revelation
10 him. An expression OF wonder ana
deli ght which was amazing TO see lit up
his face. He performed the process over
and over again for pure pleasure, like
child with a new toy.
he learned 10 add and subtract as well
a. anybody in six lessons. Then he could
not afford 10 pay for any more lessons,
and his education never progressed into
the intricaces Of multiplication and divis-
ion
ia had taught himself good deal about
reading In some way, how he could never
explain. He would puzzle over a news
paper article and grasp more or less Of the
sense Of Il, though he could not read
single paragraph Of il aloud, because Of
enoountering 80 many words that he did
not know. Curiously enough he knew the
longer and more literary words better
than the simple, common ones.
NY brother had class in English lit
eratlre which was reading Irving. The
peddler attended this class with great de-
light. He could understand enough to
enjoy It, although he could not read II him
self. I started him in the first reader,
which was just what he needed. At the
end Of his sixth lesson he was in the third
he had never held a pencil in his hand
when he came TO me. For his first writing
lesson gave him the word in A. the
third lesson you would not have believed
that his in was made by the same person.
AT the sixth lesson he could write all
the letters, and such words as he could
sper II was interesting TO see just what
an illterate mature mind could do with
tn, elementary studies. He picked thu m
up with marvellous rapidity. but / think
he would soon have reached bis limitations.
Certain brain cells had waited too long
before beginning their development 70
develop very far. He learned readily
What had. come within the range Of his
He had long been familiar with the simple
arithmetical processes mentally. He had
long wanted to know how 10 read the news
and 10 write enough for his own business,
would have liked 20 watch him 60 on into
the higher studies, 10 see what he could
have done with them.
SIn such Gases Il often seems impossible
20 get the pupil started Tor several lessons.
Then a light seems to break suddenly on
the mind, and after that progress is rapid
A married woman about 80 came TO me
30 learn TO read and write. She had a
daughter 8 or years old. The girl had al
that kEF TnOtheT COuld
not read. and the woman said that in an
other year or two her daughter would de-
spise her and she must Learn to read
against that time.
sbe could not learn TO read. Then she
suddenly began 90 read, and at the end Of
three months, when she left, she could
read duently in the second reader.
she was the only married woman
ever knew who came with that excuse.
ma rest Of them were Rctuated by the same
motive as all the rest, the longing for an
They feel that they have missed some
thing out OF their hve,; that something mr.
could read When We take into oonsidera-
ton the fact that such people generally
save their s. a month for their tuition from
their food and clothes, Il seems as II their
thirxt for knowledge were rather fine.
THE trouble with most Of our pupils Il
that when they have work and are able 20
nav for lessons, they are too tired to study
and when they have no work and have
time and strength 20 study, they have no
money to pay. This is especially true with
the girls.
Most OF our girls were shirt waist opera
tors. They are not - strong az the men.
They are too exhausted by the days work
70 study at night very long.
They begin full OF enthusiasm, but In a
few weeks they are so worn out they have
10 stop. had one girl Of nineteen so frai
and delicate that felt like telling her every
night that she ought to be in bed instead
n trying TO study.
soon she was too weak and tired nights
20 come any more. while afterwa d saw
her again, and she looked much stronger
and better. I said TO her:
Why. you ought 20 be able to come
% school now,
'Oh, yes she replied sorroWGnlly, I
could study nov, but now / have no WORK
and cannot pay
VERY few women attend evening school
The pupils are mostly men. ] don't think
they love education for lts own sake any
rnore than the women do
But In the first place they are stronger
and better able 10 stand the strain, and In
the second they are studying In the hopt
IL ~