The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-23
SCHOOL WHERE OLD FOLKS GO
MAXWELL POINTS TO 1T AS A
PROOF OF HIS THEORIES.
City's One Industrial Evening School Holds
Its Closing Exercises Many Negroes.
Not n Few Middle Aged. Were Among
the Pupils Who Received Certificates.

Not n Few Middle Aged. Were Among
the Pupils Who Received Certificates.
The only evening industrial school in
the city's public school system, held in
Public School 80, in West Forty-first street,
completed its first school year last night.
The school was started as an experiment
an closes with a total of 1 500 pupils on it's
rolls ranging in age from l0to 81 and prac-
tically all colored.
The school ia the only one to which pupils
Of any age can go to learn the trades with
out first having had an elementary educa-
ton. 1t has been a great success and
others will probably be started next year,
There was an exhibition last night of
the work lone in the school last year in
cooking, carpentry, dressmaking, millinery,
embroidery, mechanical drawing and other
trades. The negro population OF the
West Side turned out in sue numbers
that at times it was difficult to get around.
The speeches and closing exercises had to
be given first on one floor and then on
another. No diplomas we're given out this
year, but those who had over 80 per cent.
in attendance and 10 per cent. in studies
got certificates. Pretty nearly every one
got one.
Many middle aged men and women and
a few older ones were among the scholars
who marched up to receive them. Some
of them hadn't been able to write their
own name when they first registered.
Principal William NJ. Buckley, himself a
negro, had a pleasant word to say to nearly
all of them and they went away with BEAM
ing faces.
uu--z z.~ h. -t ,~Aaolaa hv nv GnhNnl
Commissioners Hardness and Mack, Internal
Revenue Collector Charles w. Anderson
and City Superintendent Maxwell. Mr.,
Mack in his speech referred to the attacks
made on DR.. Maxwell recently and said
that he could not have stood them had he
not had a thick skin.
Il do not altogether agree with Mr.. Mack
on that said DIR. Maxwell, in beginning his
address. Il ave been able TO bear the
attacks / have received because l have
felt that / was right and because | felt |
was giving the people OF this city What.
they wanted. | believe that the people OF
this city in many instances rant the fads
and frills. as they are called. ] believe
they want their girls ~ know how to bake
a cake, to make hats and dresses and to
save the bills. II it's necessary for them
to make a living they want them to do it
tlC
Il have been alta ked not alone for
this. l nave been attacked because | have
stood steadfast for competition for teach,
ers' places. | have taken the ground
that no amount of political influence or
religious inhueno or favorttism could or
ought to get a teacher a place in a public
school,. | have insisted that they get
places by strict examinations and that
those who get licenses should be APP
pointed according to their standing.
AN what has beeh the result of this?
The result has been that more colored young
women have become teachers in the last five
years than ever before in twice that time,
and these young women won places in school
absolutely on their merits. They did not
nave to seek the V of any one. just as
o as a name was reached that person
was appointed, black or white. They were
appointed because they had shown the
quality Of persistent effort, which is as i'm
portant as high intelligence. Nothing
should give so much hope in the future of
your race as the work Of this school, because
here is shown the persistent effort coupled
with intelligence which is bound to lead
to success"