The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-14

f.r,.iy ltst nlahf NJ . o'et,ch with = ulle
.,i.b spelling hea sNd svefy stnftinn
rrts nv New vofh md y representative
r iba pfess aHllefy Tho ayfinlefa entefed
u .,st niehi Hnsl eventa hal ~ Tiallhet
Ir rfriiminafy heata In nine wlhllo achnola
In tho 500 MI snd third schpol Districts
Tho trial heats wefe dpen only ~ pupils
NJ ibe dtth yeas eiaaEaa Esactly iets
pupils hanging " aea from y ~ ~ years
entered tho pYeIinhIHnfies last April "
airoi ,p heforr a bfuadaide ~ So word.
bb, Mediterranean, %eneanouis, pateliel
anil ~aterc1ptlcoh, Pupil after puptl tell
bef1fc tho ~hFuadside, and after thu trials
ecrc over laat seek II vas found that l,e1s
htI fallen ~ tho wayeide out ~ the i,stS
ertriea
Nhorefure u was q nna thing 10 walk
prmrily down the aisle ~ that's tho way
~ srelledl In a pretty white bingham dress
and Autterlng hair ribbons and take ones
rhcr In tho front row for this nnal heat.
And when the star spoilers had assembled
ono s,w then why II Ia that all the magazine
writer's are women this men can't spell, Tho
pupils that had managed 10 pull through
n all until last night consisted Of eighteen
little girls and only " little boys. Ono
~ tho boys, Isidor Halpert. has been In
tho country only eight months and knew
no English when he arrived. He Ia a pupil
of the School for Immigrant Children, all
the pupils OF which have been In America
only a year or less. The school Ia under
the direction Of the Educational Alliance
and is the only school that entered In tho
contest pupils not under the Jurisdiction
of he Board Of Education.
Principal John &. Roberts OF Public
school so conducted tho inquisition and
announced that he had entered no scholars
In the contest, lest he be accused Of ia
voritism toward his own scholars as TO
time limit while asking questions. With
Principal Roberts on the stage were Dean
Thomas s. Ballet Of New York University
and the principals and teachers OF the
various schools whose pupils had at least
tried to spell.
Auditorium and gallery seats were
jammed with parents, brothers and sisters
from the lower East Side, all in their Sum
day-in most cases Saturday Vbest, and
chock full OF shrugs and excitement. Out
side in Seward Park three policemen were
trying to handle an overflow meeting OF
several hundred. These fought and showed
for half an hour until they saw there was
no hope Of getting in. Then they calmly
took their station on curb and steps and
waited till they had learned that Rachael
or Sarah had stayed by the Winners. yes
when they treated their happy offspring to
Ice cream sandwiches and led them proudly
home.
Every one of the twenty that had sur
vived the trials was of Hebrew ~parentage
A., IT,, r,fIarai for fha q UfIll prIASl that
was to come little light haired Pauline
Goldstein OF No. 1T was picked as the
favoite. Pauline is 80 small that the press
gallery could locate her only by first finding
Mrs. Goldstein's red and yellow turban
and then counting forward three seats to
where's little fluffy ball of white twisted
and turned a tiny pocket handkerchief and
caught its breath while Julia Richmond,
district superintendent, told the spoilers
for twenty minutes how not to get ratified.
and sang and then the race was on. The
press gallery held its breath and prayed
silently as Pauline, who was the first called
upon, stood up unsteadily, pulled up her
garters, answered unsteadily, "S-t-e-r-e-
o-p-t-i-o-o-n,,. and sank back in a tremor.
gallery. TO think the poor little tad
had to fall down on the very first word.
And III bet she knows it's can just as
we'll as we do
Yes, she's Just excited. that's all. Say,
they ought to give her one more cha
Correct" said Prof. Roberts, amid a
happy silence in the press gallery. Eight
times the awful list Of words went up and
down the line without. a spill, and then
one little girl went up in the air on bal
child retire to the side lines in tears did
they know that anything had happened,
because they all agreed with her hat one
"lT was good and plenty; All
Everybody held his breath, then until
the fourteenth round, when there was a
difference Of opinion between another
little girl and the principal about the word
divine.
piping answer that caused the second
spill, and then there were Two mule glr,s
on the side lines clasping each others hands
and weeping over a common sorrow. FOR
almost an hour longer questions were piled
quickly up and down the line and all were
answered correctly. Then Prof. Roberts
announced that there seemed no possiointy
and that at a quarter of 10 o'clock he would
stop questioning and surrender.
Minutes we're hours to those in th~eanxious
seats until the hands of the big clock at the
back OF the big hall reached the appointed
time for a cessation Of hostilities. And
when the principal announced at last that
he was all in and that no other mistakes
had been made and Pauline still held her
post-the handkerchief twisted into ribbons
as it wiped a pale, little facea,there was a
cheer from the crowd, the like OF which
can be only heard when Mike Donlin comes
to the bat in the ninth, bases full, two, opt,
score four to two the wrong way, and slams
'er out over the borough of The Bronx.
There was a consolation prize quickly
, Objected in the press gallery for the two
' weering wounded on the side lines, whose
names were withheld by oommon consent.
Two reporters were appointed a committee
to make the presentation speech and went
over to the weering ones with the purse.
Proudly the two little girls stood up
when the purse was offered to them with
directions to divide and forget II. And
hand in hand they answered as II they had
their speech prepared.
Our mamas don't let us to take monies
init strange gentlemen they said stifiy.
And as they walked of to join their friends,
while the presentation committee stood
back abashed, this common insult that had
been added to injury dried the last vestige
OF a tear on their faces.